Claire's Corner

Caleb's favorite

2012-01-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Any time I ask Caleb what he would like me to bake, he without fail always says something like this:
"Something with chocolate...What about that chocolate coffee biscotti?"

I have to say, Elana worked her magic with this double chocolate mocha biscotti recipe. It is absolutely delicious. And it's Caleb's favorite thing that I bake. Especially when he can have a latte along with it.

I would highly recommend making some of this as soon as possible! It's healthy, low in carbs, and feels special.

To find the recipe, go here.

Note:
Don't forget that you can make your own almond flour! Just grind some blanched almonds in your food processor or coffee grinder...voila! Almond flour! If you can't find arrowroot powder, try subbing corn starch and see if that works. I've read in the comments that they have successfully made this recipe with corn starch.

Oatmeal raisin cookies

2012-01-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

I love new cookbooks. And I think I could say I love them even more when the whole book is filled with desserts and baked goods!

One of my new favorite cookbooks is called The Ultimate Gluten-Free Cookie Book (By Roben Ryberg). Doesn't that name even sound wonderful- a whole cookbook filled with cookie recipes?!

So here's a delicious recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies- whether you make these gluten-free or not, I can guarantee they'll be good! They were super satisfying, and the pumpkin pie spice gave them a nice warm, comforting flavor.

(All credit goes to Roben Ryberg for her original recipe- you should buy her book!)

Ingredients:
Makes about 30 cookies

1/3 cup oil, 65 grams
1/3-1/2 cup brown sugar, (100 grams if not using stevia)
1 cup brown rice flour + 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour (or another type of flour), 185 grams*
1/2 cup rolled oats, pulsed in a coffee grinder to make smaller pieces, 50 grams
1/2 cup raisins/cranberries, 80 grams
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon stevia (or more if desired)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon guar gum/xantham gum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2-1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
3 tablespoons water

Glaze (optional):
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon softened butter
2 teaspoon milk

Directions:
1. Preheat the over to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with baking/parchment paper.
2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the oil and sugar. Add the flour and mix. Add the rest of the ingredients and beat well. Be sure to get it as smooth as possible!
4. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until they are golden. Let cool (or else they fall apart in your hands while you eat them warm!)
5. If making the glaze, combine the ingredients to form a smooth paste. Drizzle it over the tops of warm cookies.

(*I mixed the two, because I don't like 100% rice cookies...I feel like the taste is just a tad bit off)

Claire's notes:
- I always try and reduce sugar amounts in my baking, so that's why I added the stevia. It's just my personal preference, but I thought I'd add it in, in case you wanted to make it exactly like I did.
- If making this with normal all-purpose flour, omit the guar gum, and combination of g-free flours, and maybe reduce the oil just by a tiny bit. I don't actually know though...I don't use normal flour these days anymore! Let me know if you make this with normal flour, and tell me how they turn out!

Sit down for a cup of warm milk with honey, a nice fire (or a big cozy blanket), and one of these cookies, and it could just be the best part of your day.

Books to cherish

2012-01-25T12:21:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, Tyler cleaned out his room.

It's not completely empty, but most of his "stuff" is gone. He's getting married soon, and won't be using his old room again once he comes back! It's a little weird, but exciting too.

The night before he left, he gathered some items that he thought some of us would like to keep. I had said goodbye to him that night, so didn't see what he had reserved for me. I woke up the next morning, and outside my door sat a pile of neatly stacked books from my brother.

Now, you have to know something about Tyler. He loves his books. He loves any book, but he treasures his own even more. He was always slightly hesitant to lend his hardback copies in particular, in case someone bent the pages (dog-earing is not acceptable!), or spilled something, or left the book somewhere.

So a stack of books from Tyler to me doesn't just mean he needed a place to store them. He entrusted those books to me. And now I can handle them with much care, just like he did. I promise I won't leave them open on the floor, or eat chocolate while reading (teehee), or let Kaylee sit on my lap while I read. I'll try to be just as nice to these books as Tyler was. They're used to a high standard that I'll need to live up to!

Most of the books he left me are ones that he knows I've read and liked. The others are ones that he thinks I would enjoy. Either way, these books are precious to me, which is why they deserve a special spot right on my windowsill. I want to remember Tyler and the way he cherishes stories and art, and be inspired by the creativity stored inside each one of these books.

Cake truffles

2012-01-22T05:33:00.001-08:00

Do you remember when I posted about cake pops last year? Well, they were really tasty, but also quite difficult to put on a stick. Seems simple enough in theory, I know, but it's much harder when you're actually doing it! So this year, for Caleb's birthday, I made cake truffles.

Ahhh...extra chocolate. That's the best.

Pretty much, it's the same idea as cake pops, just without the stick. I used a gluten-free yellow cake mix (*gasp!*) from the States, because I needed to work quickly. The cake actually tasted really good when I baked it! I would highly recommend Betty Crocker gluten-free mixes.

Anyway, as the binder for the cake, I used a delicious caramel frosting recipe for half of the cake truffles (included below), and raspberry jam for the other half. Both versions were tasty, but the caramel frosting was definitely fancier.

For the directions on how to make the cake pops, just follow steps 1-7 from this recipe, and then use a fork to dip the truffles into the chocolate, or candy coating. It'll be messy any way you do it, so just enjoy getting your fingers all chocolatey. You can call it an excuse to lick your fingers. (Just be sure to wash them before dipping more truffles!)

I just melt my chocolate in the microwave..it's the easiest way!

So shiny and chocolatey, but not perfectly round like Bakerella's cake pops- she's the best!!

I wish I had a picture of the insides of the truffles, but I was preparing them so fast that I didn't get a chance to have a photo-shoot with these little beauties. I do have two more hidden in the freezer for a rainy day (maybe today??), so if you are really curious, maybe, just maybe, I could snap a picture of the cake inside. But I'm sure you can use your imagination a little and just picture the yummy goodness!

Enjoy!

Caramel frosting

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine

1/3 cup any type of milk (cow's, rice, soy...)

1 pinch salt

1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, milk, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and boil 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; cool completely.

Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and thick enough to spread on cupcakes.

*Update: I got a picture of the truffles before we ate the last ones!

Happy Birthday Caleb!

2012-01-20T06:59:00.000-08:00

Today is Caleb's 19th birthday! I'm so grateful to have him as my brother. It's sad to think that this is probably the last birthday he'll spend at home for a while. *Sigh* Well, I'm happy to be celebrating with him this year!

Never a dull moment with Caleb, that's for sure! We have always had lots of fun together.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Almost finished for now

2012-01-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

I haven't disappeared. I have gone into a sort of cave though: A studying cave. Or at least it feels like that.

It's been a crazy busy time with finals and the finishing up of my first semester of 12th grade. These past two weeks I've been running nonstop. But it's coming to an end soon! Our "grade books" close next Wednesday... I can make it until then. I can. I will.

Until then, I'm trying to take in the little encouraging things along the way... through Instagram, as it's the easiest and fastest way to capture moments!

This mug is special, because Tyler works at Joe's Coffee Shop at Moody. He gave me this mug. But it's even more special because it is from the first line of official Joe's mugs! It makes me think of Tyler every time I drink tea out of it.

And one more thing! It's Caleb's 19th birthday tomorrow!! Happy birthday 1 hour early Caleb!

God is good

2012-01-08T01:56:00.000-08:00

I can't say those words enough these days.

God is good.

This season of holidays was especially meaningful to me. And I know it was all a gift from God. These moments were some God's gifts to me this Christmas:

Tyler and Lara came to visit for the first time together.

I experienced life with an "almost" sister for the first time.

We got to see my dad speak at the midnight service on Christmas Eve in Havirov, the city I lived in until I was 6.

We had a peaceful, joyful Christmas together.

My Patty grandparents came to visit us (they're in their 80's, but that doesn't stop them from traveling!!).

We started off the New Year with our dear friends, the Ellenwoods.

School started up again...normal life continues, but our God is the same...

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

God is good.

And I praise Him for that.

New Golden Arches

2012-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Last month, the closest McDonald's was about 40 minutes away.

Now we have our very own Golden Arches in Frydek Mistek, which is only 12 minutes away!

And just have to comment on that monster limo...in front of McD's??? Curious what it's doing there.

For most of you Americans, McD's is probably just another fast food restaurant. It may not be the first one you choose (it wouldn't be my favorite if I lived in the States!). But here, we have limited choices for fast food chains.

Pretty much, in our area of Czech, we have KFC, McD's, some Asian fast food, and for some reason, lots of kebab stands. So a new McDonald's is a pretty big deal for us! And plus it has a fancy McCafe too... yep, I said fancy.

Most of the McDonald's restaurants in Czech have lately been remodeled. They are actually really nice places to be! It's kind of comforting to get a little taste of America every now an then.

My Mom has a particular fondness of McDonald's (not because the food is always the greatest, but you know, there is a charm to it now and then). Mainly, she has fun memories from a time in her life there...read about it on her blog!

Internet issues

2012-01-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I actually can post right now. For the past couple of weeks we've been experiencing problems with our internet. This past week, it went off completely. Every once in a while we get a sudden burst of it, and it comes back on. Why is it having problems? We're not exactly sure.

Until it is stable, we'll see how much I can post.

Internet is one of those things that you never really realize you use a lot, until you lose it. So I'd like to thank the internet for a couple of things...maybe that'll get me on its good side again, and it'll decide to go off strike. Please internet, could you cooperate?

Here's what I like about you, Internet:
- You are always willing to help me with school work
- You are the quickest mailman ever
- You're always on top of the latest news
- You keep me connected with people I can't see face-to-face
- You are the biggest cookbook
- You give me inspiration for decorating, baking, writing, art...
- You're USUALLY reliable

Anyway, hoping to get one more post out before the internet goes back out. I feel like this is happening every day:

Two days, two walks

2011-12-29T04:41:00.000-08:00

Day 1:
Overcast.
Melancholy.
Still.

Day 2:
Bright.
Windy.
Full of life.

It's crazy how my mood can change so fast according to the weather. I actually like photographing nature better in the overcast weather...it creates a great mood. But I'm definitely happier and more productive in sunny weather!

Question of the day:

What kind of weather is your favorite?

Inspired

2011-12-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

What inspires you? 

I took this picture a few weeks ago, and forgot about it until now! I love these kinds of days where the sun shines through fluffy clouds!

Drizzly magical Vienna

2011-12-27T05:47:00.000-08:00

The rain drizzled onto our hats and coats. Our feet were numb with cold. Our noses were red and our cheeks blushed.

But...somehow it all worked together, because...

The markets sparkled in the glow of the Christmas lights. Starbucks (yes, we went to Starbucks in Vienna...sorry little Viennese coffee shops!) was even cozier as we warmed our hands on steaming hot lattes. And we had such a sweet time together walking around and enjoying the city's charm!

It was a short trip, but very much enjoyed! We came home on Friday night. Just in time for Christmas Eve on Saturday!

Snowflakes that stay...

2011-12-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

...on your nose and eyelashes.

These are a few of my favorite things! (Think of Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music)

Ahh...the first snow. I love it! I've been waiting for it for weeks. And now, just in time for Christmas, it is finally here.

I love the first snow so much.

Now come inside!! It's cold!

Can I go out and play? Oh pleeeease??

Guess who's home??!

Tyler and Lara are back for Christmas! I'm so glad they made it safely!

The fire- love sitting by it, warming up, and catching up with Tyler and Lara.

Question of the day:

What are your favorite winter/Christmas sights? What makes you feel cozy in the winter?

Vaclav Havel- a man who changed this country

2011-12-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

Vaclav Havel, the former president of Czech, passed away in his sleep on Sunday.

It's hard for me to even take in this sad occasion.

I've learned about Vaclav Havel in school. I've seen him quoted throughout my life. I've heard Czechs talk about him with adoration. I've read about him in history books. He changed the face of the Czech republic, and we can be forever grateful to him for his influence.

Vaclav Havel was the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech republic. He received the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. His involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77 brought him international fame as the leader of the opposition in Czechoslovakia; it also led to his imprisonment. He was the symbol of freedom for Czechs.

A famous Czech novelist said it right: "Vaclav Havel's most important work is his own life."

Thank you Vaclav Havel for everything you did for this country. In part, thanks to you, I can even live here. If it weren't for your involvement, who knows how much longer communism would have lasted. You were an excellent, humble leader.

Here are a few pictures that Caleb captured in Ostrava at the memorial.

Wish I could be in Prague to say farewell with all the Czechs. (Pictures from web)

Go to my Mom's blog too for her touching post.

The end of sparkly teeth!

2011-12-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Today was the day!! Wooohooo!!!

The orthodontist took my braces off today! I can't even express my excitement about this. It's been exactly 3 years, 9 months and 8 days since I got them on. It's such a relief to finally be at the end. Ahh....

When I first got braces... (They were definitely crooked!)

During braces... (today, before I got them off)

After braces...(!!)

My orthodontist was so very sweet throughout this whole process. I'm going to genuinely miss seeing her!

I'm very thankful that I could have braces...and glad that that's done too! Now to get my retainer tomorrow, and that'll be it! (Other than check-ups) Yippee!!

Note: Want to see my first post of when I got braces??

Busy and yet not

2011-12-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have seasons of life that seem so busy you can hardly keep up? And yet somehow you still find time to get on Facebook, Pinterest, skype with a friend, bake or go shopping. So really, we I realize, our lives are really not that busy in the sense of time that is "free".

Then why do we feel so busy?

For me, what I've noticed, is that most of the time, I'm not actually as busy as I feel. I just need to organize my schedule well, and map it all out. Calm down, take a deep breath, and start doing something. As soon as I can't keep track of everything that's going on, that's when I start to feel like I have no time.

I often think about this verse...well I don't think about it often enough, but I'm thinking of it now...

Ephesians 5:15-17

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

I need to constantly be asking myself: Am I making the best use of my time...as Mark Driscoll (one of my favorite Bible teachers to listen to!!) puts it: to the glory of God and the good of all people?

I'd have to answer honestly right now, that this is not always true.

Lord, help me to be a better steward of my time every single day, no matter how "busy" I feel. You are in control, and you should get all of my attention, and all of the glory.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

(You know how much I love sunrises. I totally feel like God is giving me a gift with every beautiful sunrise I get to see.)

Question of the day:

When you start feeling busy, what do you do? How do you organize your time better?

Christmas favorites

2011-12-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

Whitney from Elm Street Life just posted this fun list of Christmas favorites on her blog. I loved the idea! Here are a few of my own that make me happy...

Smells: Pine. Cinnamon rolls in the oven on Christmas morning. Cloves.

Traditions: There are so many! I love the years when my Dad is asked to speak at the "pulnocni" ("midnight") services in Havirov or Ostrava on Christmas Eve. We all go together to the services that take place on the square of the city. It's chilly, but so many people come to listen from the city. Dad often presents the Gospel and shares about the true meaning of Christmas.

I also love stockings on Christmas morning- when we were little, that was the only thing we could open before our parents woke up. It was always so exciting to wake up and go down to the Christmas tree with Caleb and Tyler (we'd always wake each other up) and open up our stockings.

Flower: Poinsettia (is that actually a flower??).

Movie: Elf- hilarious and cute. Christmas with the Kranks- a holiday classic for Mom and me. Santa Clause- 1 or 2, I like them both!

Hymn: Angels We Have Heard on High, or O Holy Night. But I love them all.

Memory: I'll always remember the day that my Dad gave me a painting. We had gone to Prague earlier that season, and went into an art gallery. I saw a painting that I absolutely adored, and couldn't stop exclaiming about. I NEVER, ever thought that my Dad might get it for me. My dad told us that we should wait somewhere, while he walked to the car (it was a ways away), so he could pick us up. Little did I know that he was not only being nice, he was also carrying the painting back to the car! When I opened up my present on Christmas morning, I was in shock, and so excited. I will treasure this painting for the rest of my life!

Easy gift: Scarves, mugs with tea, or something yummy, like these pecans!

Sight: Snow falling under a street lamp at night. It's so peaceful and quiet- perfect! Or lit-up Christmas trees in little towns and villages- so happy.

Food: Cinnamon rolls, Turtle Cookies (Grandma's recipe), Turkey (by far my favorite meat), Mulled cider

Dislikes: The pressure of finding the perfect gift. You want it to be meaningful, so you don't just want to go out and buy what everyone else is buying. But you also only have a limited amount of money. Let's just say, I like making things for Christmas, when I can. But I will say, that if/when you do find the perfect gift, it's a huge LIKE of Christmas- that feeling that you know someone's going to get a lot of joy when they open their gift is so great.

Ok, your turn. Some of your Christmas favorites?

Reminded by a red train PART 2

2011-12-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

(Go here for part 1)

When we arrived at the Stephens house, with a big plastic bag and a little red advent calendar train inside, I was excited. The thought of Cece's joy when she would open the present made my heart happy.

Mom had to explain to Cece what this train was, and what it meant. You get a piece of candy in each box. Every. Single. Day. Oh my goodness!! What could be more fun for a little kid than the surprise of what might be inside that little numbered box every day. Could it be a gummy, or a lentilky (Czech version of M&M's or Smarties), or a chocolate coin?

No peeking!!

You mean...there will be candy EVERY DAY??!

The first one...

Yess!! Candy!


So great!

This is the joy of giving gifts!

Now for 24 days (only 17 now!), Cece will patiently await Christmas- the day we celebrate Jesus' gift to us. She may not even realize it now, but waiting like this for Christmas is like us waiting for the return of Christ one day. We get some blessings now, and others Jesus is saving for us for another day. (We can't get them all at once!). And then one day, He will come back, and that will be the best day of all. Even better than Christmas.

So even though I sometimes forget the real meaning behind giving Christmas gifts, getting this gift for the Stephens family reminded me of the joy of giving gifts. I want to have just as much joy when I get "gifts" from Jesus this season, as Cece did when she received her gift. And I want to continue to give gifts with joy too, remembering Christ with every gift.

And now may we patiently await the day we celebrate Christ's birth! Until then...why not start celebrating now! And remember what Christmas is all about... read about this special day in Luke 2. It's a great story, I promise.

One last note: I just have to say, Brian is an awesome dad. :) He got Cece more excited just through his excitement! Made the whole gift ten times better for her. Way to go Brian!!

Reminded by a red train

2011-12-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

It's starting to be the season of gift-giving again. Christmas: the day where we celebrate the best Gift of all- Jesus Christ. Our tradition of giving gifts at Christmas should remind us of the{Him}Gift, shouldn't it? But sadly, this is not always true. I for sure don't always think about it.

Yesterday though, I was reminded about what gift-giving is all about. And who better to show me this than my Mom, who is one of the best gift-givers I know.

We took a short 15-minute drive to a village near us named Celadna. This village is the "fancy" village of our area, and has an adorable gift store/cafe right on the square, with just the kinds of things that my mom and I love. We walked around the store, finding this and that, until we came upon something that captured the attention of both of us.

Mom: "Claire, isn't that gorgeous?! Someone needs that...don't you think someone needs that?"
Me: "Woow...who could that be for though?"
Mom: "I don't know...I wonder how much it is... Let's take a look at it."

It was a red train with two wagons, on which were boxes - 24 to be exact. Yep, it was an advent calendar. And it was even 40% off! It was one of those one-of-a-kind, tradition-forming things.

Me: Thinking of Michelle (Mom's friend in the States, who is a whizzz shopper, and who's shopping buddy, she says, is Jesus!) "Does Jesus want you to buy it? How about we flip." (We sometimes flip a coin and ask Jesus if we should buy something if we're not sure...it may sound weird, but hey, the disciples cast lots in the Bible too! And it makes things a lot easier!)

Mom flipped a coin, and we got heads -- YES (buy it).

We still didn't know who it was for, but Mom put the train on the counter at the registry, and we continued to walk around the store looking at everything they had.

Then...

Mom: "Claire! I think I know who it's for. I wouldn't normally give this kind of gift, but this is just special. It's for Aleisha [Amazing mom to Cece, and twins Gabe and Alex]."
Me: "Really? Oooh...you're right. She's gonna love it!"
Mom: "What if this ended up being a tradition for them...you know, like our advent calendar?"


Our advent calendar before any of the little wooden pictures were put up on the velcro studded tree! We've had it for as long as I can remember. It was a homemade gift from a family friend.

I couldn't stop grinning, knowing that this was who Jesus had in mind when He gave us "heads" on the coin.

We stopped by the little grocery store on the square and picked up some little bags of candy. Filling each of the little boxes with a candy, I thought about how Cece would smile every time she opened one.

The rest of the story to be continued...including pictures of Cece and the full train too. :)

Moments of joy

2011-11-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

Lately the little things have been taking my breath away...

-Watching the sun rise as we leave for school.

-The crisp air of a clear morning.

-The truths in Christmas songs. (Especially in the soundtrack to the Nativity Story movie-it's one of my favorites!)

-The smell of a freshly cut pine tree on the side of the road by my school.

-The view from my mom's office window.

-A fire flickering in the fireplace.

-Kind words from friends.

But not only do the things I see take my breath away. The things I read are just as powerful...

-Jesus' softness towards women in the Gospels.

-Mary's faith in the unknown.

-God's sovereignty over everything that happens in our lives.

-Paul's goals to share Christ, show Christ, and know Christ.

There are so many places where I can be encouraged day after day. I just need to remember to lift my eyes to see what God has prepared for me.

No tumbling under the waves...I want to see the view of the ocean.

Thank you Caleb for capturing this amazing moment from JVK camp this year in Croatia!

Aunty Joyce's Amazing Granola

2011-11-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

I think we all have aunts, grandmas, cousins, and maybe even uncles who just make the best _________. You know what I mean: maybe it's your Grandma's canned green beans, your aunt's bbq chicken, or your mom's cinnamon rolls. Well, I'd like to share a favorite recipe from my Aunty Joyce! (My Dad's sister)

I first tried her granola this year at family reunion. She brought a batch, and, oh my!! I fell in love. It's so simple, soothing, but real and pure. It has a light taste, which is not overpowering.

And I also have to say that making this granola was somewhat therapeutic. I don't know what it was about it, but I loved the whole process! (It might have helped that I made it in the morning, in a quiet house, in a clean kitchen, with the sun streaming through the windows...yep, I definitely love mornings.)

Amazing healthy granola (can be gluten-free)

Here's her recipe:

I learned to make this granola in a class from a young woman who was teaching us to make homemade soap and balms. It’s simple and tasty. I like to eat it with plain yogurt, a little honey, and fresh fruit.

Spray a 9x13 cake pan with spray oil. Spread 7 cups of old fashion oats in pan. Preheat oven to 350. In a small sauce pan on stove, heat ½ c olive oil and ½ c honey and a dash of salt on medium until easily pourable. Then pour mixture over oats in a zig zag fashion across and up and down the pan. With large spoon, fold oats and honey mixture until evenly distributed. Bake in 15 minute intervals at 350, turning mixture every 15 minutes until desired crispness (I usually cook the granola for 45-50 minutes total).

In same sauce pan used for oil and honey, add 1-2 Tbs olive oil or cinnamon infused oil*. Add ½ c sliced almonds, ½ c chopped pecans, ½ c chopped walnuts to oil. On medium heat, stir nuts constantly to roast until you hear a slight sizzle or pop in the pan. Then pour roasted nuts over baked oats and fold in. Add ¼ to ½ c craisins. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

*To make cinnamon infused oil, fill small glass bottle with narrow opening with cinnamon sticks. Pour olive oil over them, filling bottle. Close tightly with lid. After a couple days you have cinnamon infused oil. Bottle may be refilled a couple times with olive oil before changing out cinnamon sticks (depending on how often you use this).

This is what the nut mixture should look like before you add it to the granola

Claire's notes:
- I added some puffed amaranth for a little protein and other good stuff, and 'cause we had it on hand. :)
- Use the best honey you can! It will make a difference!
- I added pumpkin seeds, which were absolutely delicious! I love the crunch they added. (And those little brown specks are flax seeds ground. You've probably heard me say already how good flax is for you and such...so why not add it to your granola??)
- A serving suggestion: cut half of a banana, peel, and place in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave banana on high for 30-50 seconds, then mash. It totally enhances the flavor of the banana, and melts amazingly into the yogurt and granola. Yum. Deliciousness.
- Play around with this recipe. The possibilities are endless!

And one last picture of my dear Aunty Joyce (and Uncle Dave). Thank you for the recipe!

Question of the day:
Have you ever made your own granola? Success? Did you like it? I'd love it if you would share your favorite recipe!

Transformed for Christmas

2011-11-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

My brother Tyler said it well...."Now that the turkey had his day...it's time for Christmas!". Who else out there decorates their house the weekend after Thanksgiving? We haven't always done this, but it sure is fun.

So, here's to welcoming the Christmas season!

First, a couple of before pictures...

And after...

If you want to hear about the creative way we got this Christmas tree for free, go to my mom's blog.

Question of the day:

When do you decorate for Christmas? What's your favorite Christmas decoration?

Thanksgiving with JV family

2011-11-26T02:57:00.000-08:00

While we don't get to spend Thanksgiving with our family in the States, we do get to be with our JV family! I have never in my life spent a Thanksgiving in the States, but that's why JV Thanksgiving feels so special to me here. This is what our tradition is for Thanksgiving!

I'm thankful for lots of things, one of them being my JV family!

Thank you Caleb for this picture!!

Everyone brings their best dishes to contribute to the big table, we have fresh turkeys, mashed potatoes (provided by the hotel) and lots of yummy side dishes.

What would Thanksgiving be without our annual football game?

I love these girls! Jillian's in the middle, and Hayley's on the right.

Preparing some yummy food! One of my favorite parts!

So good!

The kids get especially excited about all the fun food!

The JVK talent show.

And of course the hosts were just as entertaining! :)

Micron pen drawings are fun

2011-11-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

I love using Micron black pens for drawing. They are smooth, waterproof and long-lasting. Here's a drawing I worked on this weekend.

This is a street in Jelsa, Croatia this past summer. I miss Croatia! I love the fresh, clean air, the blue ocean, the stone houses, the rosemary and lavender...ahhh. So refreshing. I'd go there right now if I could!

Question of the day:

If you could take two days off and go anywhere relaxing right now, where would you go? Why?

* By the way, I used an app on my phone called diptic to put these two pictures together. It's a great app! I love it!

Pumpkin bars and CCK

2011-11-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite blogger. Ok, just stop and think for a minute what would make a blogger my favorite... Yep, it includes baking. And sweets. And healthy. And cuteness. And good photography. And it's all dairy-free and gluten-free-adaptable. So...who is this blogger?

Chocolate Covered Katie!! If you've never heard of her, head on over to her wonderful blog here.

Today I tried one of her yummy recipes for pumpkin bars. She asked kindly if other bloggers would not share her recipes, but would link back to her, which I am happy to do! So here's the recipe link:

Pumpkin cream cheese bars (vegan, can be made gluten-free with an all-purpose gf mix)

A couple of notes:
- I used a normal egg instead of a replacer (I'm not vegan), and I think that's why my bars turned out more cakey. The second time I made these bars (I made them twice in two days!), I decided to just go ahead and make it round like a cake. It's so pretty that way!
- If you want to reduce the fat content or oil content, use applesauce instead of oil.
- If you don't have stevia, no problem! Katie added the measurements in sugar for those who want to use it. Stevia is a great sweetener though, and leaves a nice sweet taste on your tongue. It is a no calories, all natural, no side-affects, plant-based sweetener. Don't know stevia? Read about it here or here...it's great! (I have stevia from this company- and it's not bitter at all!)

Question of the day:

Do you have a favorite food blog, food TV show, or cookbook? I'd love to learn about something new!

Some of my other favorite CCK recipes include:
- Chocolate bar pie
- Chocolate cookies filled with pumpkin

And I really want to try:
- Brownie batter pancakes
- One minute chocolate cake (Update: this was incredible and so easy!!! You need to make it.)
- "Skinny" snickerdoodles

*Oh, and thank you Lucy T. for helping me out with the photos for this shoot! You were a great hand model. :)

Sometimes we need to look back

2011-11-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

You know those times where you happen upon some pictures from when you were six and can't stop looking at them? Or when you find some dusty videos in a drawer and can watch them for hours? Or when you find a tape (yes a cassette-tape!) of you singing a song from when you were four (yes, we have these!)?

I love looking back. Sometimes I look back at really old things, occasions and events that I can't even remember, because I was so young. And other times, I just like looking back at a beloved place I visited a year ago, or pictures with my grandparents from the summer. Anyway, I like to remember happy times.

So, here we go... let's look back at what life was like on this day (or very near this day), November 16th, in 2004, in 2005, in 2006...

This picture was taken on exactly this date, in 2004.

Just had to add this one too from 2004- three days after the picture above was taken, we had a snowstorm. A playground for us kids had arrived in white!!

2005, Nov 16th- it snowed again. Lily used to explore the wild white yard and come back looking like this. She was just collecting snow-balls I guess!

2006, Nov 17th- Grandma and Bapa visit us in Czech!

2007, Nov 16th (My mom is good at taking pictures often, isn't she?!)- yet again, there is snow on the ground. This time Caleb is shoveling the drive way with his little loyal helper- Lily.

2008, Nov 13th- we visit Chicago to support my dad in the launch of JV's capital campaign. We take a day as a family and go to the Museum of Science and Industry, where they already have their Christmas decorations up.

2008, Nov 14th- kick-off of the 2x3 Josiah Venture Capital Campaign, which has now successfully reached it's goals. Praise God! (Josiah Venture updates and webpage)

2009, Nov. 13th- Caleb's first sluskolona.

2010, Nov.12th- my sluskolona (go here for one more video)

2010, Nov 16th- a more accurate date to correspond to this post- I visited a JV missionary family in Slovakia with the Ellenwoods and Caleb. Tthe Rumbolds were (and are) awesome!!

And here we are...today's date: November 16th, 2011: an ordinary November day. Mom is frying chicken for dinner, making mashed potatoes, and steaming broccoli. And me? I'm enjoying some time with my doggy, Kaylee, and remembering past years through fun pictures.

How fun it is to look back at what happened each year! My mom has done a good job at keeping track of our lives through photos, and I'm very grateful for that! Thank you Mom!

It's ball time!

2011-11-12T04:39:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when after weeks of ballroom dance lessons, students perform what they've learned for their friends and family. Last year, I took dance lessons (for more on that, go here or here for a video). But this year, it was Caleb's ball that we all attended! He had taken dance lessons two years ago, but why not do it twice? It's so fun!

The last step of the promenade: the bow and curtsy.

Love the traditions like this one: each partner has to buy a small gift for the other and present it in a special way.

And the best part about these balls is fun times with good friends. All of these girls are in my class at school, and I love them!

Oh Pinterest, I love you

2011-11-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ever heard of a website called Pinterest? If not, then you are about to discover one of the most wonderful and helpful things on the internet.

What is Pinterest?

"Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

(quoted from here)

And I'm telling you, it is so helpful to have pinboards! There are so many things that I find on the internet that I want to remember, or share with my friends. This is a great way to keep track of those random discoveries on the web like recipes, craft ideas, decorating tips, outfit inspirations and so many other things. Here's what my "pinboards" looks like, for example.

I have a profile, and I can create boxes (categories) for things I find. For example, something like this (a creative way to organize shoes) would be in "Dream home":

Or this (an amazing, delicious, dairy-free, healthy chocolate fudge pie from this blog) would be in "For chocolatey days":

One of the best parts about Pinterest though, is that you see all of the things that your friends pin on pinterest too. You can follow anyone's boards and see what they find on the internet....and that's how pins circle around on pinterest! You can "repin" anyone else's pin if you like it, so you remember it too. So you get some great ideas from people who's styles you like or who cook great food!

So sign up for free! It's really a creative idea, and it's worth trying out. I love it, and hope you will to!

Oh Pinterest, you make me happy!

(To see my boards, go here. I hope to see you on Pinterest soon!)

Mmm...Caramel

2011-11-05T14:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but my idea of homemade caramel was always sticking a can of sweetened condensed milk in boiling water for hours and hours and eating it straight out of the can with some apples or ice cream. Thick, creamy, decadent caramel.

And yes, full of milkiness, and sugar and all those things that make my stomach hurt.

Thus, I went on a search for a caramel recipe to dip apples in that would be good on my tummy. Ok, I couldn't get rid of the sugar, but I did get rid of all that cream/milk! I found a recipe on my new favorite website Pinterest (If you haven't heard of it yet...it's amazing! Totally a collecter's dream website, and a girl magnet...hehe) that I loved. I made a few little changes...so here's my version!

Vegan Apple Caramel sauce
(Adapted from "Happy Healthy Life" ...go check it out for some amazingly yummy looking ideas for the caramel sauce. And although I adapted it slightly, all credit for the recipe goes to Kathy!)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice (or other liquid...play around with it!)
1/4 soy cream (1/2 cup butter or shortening is the original recipe)

3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1-3 Tbsp corn starch (or arrowroot powder)
Pinch ginger powder
Dash cinnamon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
pinch of salt (opt'l)
1 tsp molasses (opt'l)

1. Dissolve the corn starch into the cider.

2. Add the cider/starch to a sauce pan with the other ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil - stirring constantly. When the bubbling becomes intense, reduce to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture thickens a bit. Next, pull the pot off the stove whip the caramel with a handheld mixer. I think it really fluffed up the caramel in the end. After whipping it, reheat it for another minute or two - then turne off the heat. If you don't have anything to whip the caramel with it will still turn out fine - just a bit less airy.

3. Remove from heat. Pour the sauce into a bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Once chilled, use sauce as you wish in recipes! (It's also great warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds...yum!)

This recipe was awesome with apples, because the apple cider/juice complimented it well. For less of an apple-y flavor, I would use a different liquid (maybe goat's milk, or soy milk, or chai tea?). Experiment with it! I definitely will! If I come across a really good variation, I'll be sure to share it will you.

Pictures with my little buddy

2011-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Remember earlier this year when I posted about my little buddy, Lia Bozon? (If not, go check it out here!)

Yesterday I had the privilege to take family pictures with the Bozon family. Originally they had asked my mom to take pictures, but she delegated the actual photography to me, and managed the positioning for photos, as well as making the kids smile. It was so much fun! The kids were great, and they are all so photogenic.

I hope to show you a few of my favorite photos from yesterday soon, but I want the Bozon's to see them first and get their approval before I share any more.

But, for now, here's an adorable picture of sweet Lia! (Sitting next to her mom, waiting for everyone to get in the right positions for the family photo).

Hope you're having some nice fall weather wherever you live!

Question of the day:
What's your favorite sound of fall? The wind in the trees? Stomping through leaves? Maybe rain on your roof? I'd love to hear from you!

Barca and Kristi time

2011-10-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

This is officially my first "photo shoot" of people. And I had so much fun! The girls are so photogenic, and gorgeous in my opinion.
Kristi (in the red sweater) is my classmate at BMA, and she is so kind, thoughtful, encouraging and creative.Barca (in the coat) is in the class above me, and she is also super encouraging, joyful, loves people, and her face just sparkles when she smiles. Both of these girls love Jesus, and both radiate Him more and more every day.

And here are the pictures...

Kaylee

2011-10-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

She is a joy.

She is snuggly.

She is mischievous (loves to get in the trash cans!!).

She is playful.

She is comforting, adorable, smart, loving, and curious.

And, we love her so much.

Dad-daughter date

2011-10-24T11:13:00.000-07:00

My dad came home from a three week trip to the States on Wednesday...and you know what he wanted to do on the weekend? Spend time with me! It was a long time being a way from him, so I was so glad to get some time just the two of us!

He told me to think of something fun to do together, and I remembered this quaint horseback riding place up in the mountains that we'd been to a few years ago. It's a family owned business in the middle of pretty much nowhere...but still close enough to us that we can drive there in about 20 minutes.

This Czech family owns 6-7 mountain horses that they leave outside year-round, un-shoed, and they let all the horses live together. These horses are smaller and more wild in breed than your standard horse, but they are so sweet and calm!

There are some hunting trails up in the mountains that they take you on for as long as you want. So we got to ride through the mountains for an hour with the lady who owns the horses. It was such a sweet time with my dad, and so refreshing to be outside in the cool autumn air. According to the forecast, last Saturday may have been the last nice sunny day of Fall! Sad! But I'm so happy I spent it outside.

Dad and I then went out for a great lunch and chatted and caught up on stuff that had happened while he was gone. It was such a nice day. Thank you Dad for caring so much about me! Love you!

The little things

2011-10-21T07:33:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's the little things that bring me the most joy...

Archer Farms fruit strips from Target :)

...Like a sweet package from a friend in the States. She knows there are a few random things we can't get here that I love, so took the time to send me some!

Thank you so much R.R.! You made my day!

Dear cows and goats

2011-10-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Dear cows,

Your moos are comforting. Your black compliments your white. You have adorable noses and beautiful eyes. I like taking pictures of you. You are always so polite and let me stand close to you, and if I'm brave enough, even touch you.

But, I have one problem (and this is where goats win over you):

Your milk makes my tummy hurt. I know, I know, you can't help it...but sadly, it's the truth. I'm sorry about this, but will you still be my friends? You see, I still like you.

Sincerely,

Claire.

~~~

Dear goats at the zoo,

Remember when I used to visit you in the petting zoo and feed you out of my hand, and then run away? Those were good times. But since then, I haven't seen you much. It's probably my fault, it's true. But lately, I have come to really enjoy your friends over at our neighbor's house. They are kind enough to share their milk with another (our) family for a low price. They are very nice. And their milk doesn't seem to make my tummy hurt.

Please tell them thank you if you see them.

Love,

Claire.

~~~

And yes, the goat's milk bottle does have a cow on it...ironic. But after all, cows are pretty cute, aren't they?

Yep...I think I can have goat's milk now (safely)! And our neighbors have two goats, and sell milk and cheese to friends- pasteurized and everything. It's been a wonderful treat! I never knew that fresh goats milk was so tasty.

I've heard that people who are lactose-intolerant can sometimes tolerate cultured yogurts, and goat's milk. Well, I'm still experimenting, but from what it looks like, both of those things are true for me! It makes me so happy to taste the creaminess of milk again...and honestly, I can hardly tell the difference between the tastes of goat's and cow's milk. I guess it's been so long since I've had cow's milk that I wouldn't know what it tastes like exactly! Anyway, the goat's milk makes me happy.

I'm starting to like goats more now.

But cows are still cute.

That's Lysa Hora in the background- the highest mountain in the Beskydy and the one that we look out on from our house every day.

Menu idea

2011-10-17T07:29:00.000-07:00

I just came across this creative menu plan at a family friend's blog. I love it! For those times that I have to cook while Mom is gone, this would help with the planning. I hope it helps someone...it inspires me!

Here's the post in her words:

"What I start with is this little alliterative device…

-Mexican Monday
-Tomatoey Tuesday
-Wild-Card Wednesday
-Thrifty Thankful Thursday
-Fancy Friday
-Soup & Sandwich Saturday
-Simple Sunday

This helps with my “writers block” and gives me a direction, but not a straightjacket.

Mexican Monday is anything from tacos, burritos, tostatas, salsa chicken, nachos, etc. Many new recipes fit here, like white chili. (which could also go on soupy saturday!)

Tomatoey Tuesday is anything italian/tomato based. Chili, stew, lasagne, spagetti and meatballs, etc.

WildCard Wednesday is usually newer recipes I’m trying out like quinoa salad; leftovers, or whatever doesn’t have another category

Thrifty Thankful Thursday is anything that is inexpensive and I’m positive everyone will enjoy. :) You can’t always count on that here.

Fancy Friday is just like it sounds. Steak, Salmon, expensive in time, cost, or both. I also use this night for training in table manners/nicer placemats, etc.

Soup & Sandwich Saturday (or sometimes Salad)is so I can spend time doing other things, and is usually something that goes in the crockpot, afancy sandwich (cilantro salad, anyone?), or both.

Simple Sunday is usually burgers in the summer, but often we eat out on Sunday noon; we just find what there is to eat in the evening before or after the church service :) "

Chile corn chowder- a good soup for a Saturday

Pumpkin pie bread

2011-10-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am on a pumpkin kick. Isn't every baker in love with pumpkin in the fall? It just screams warmth and yummy-ness.

So, here's another recipe for those of you who have gluten-free flours. Actually, besides the brown rice flour (which can be subbed for either rice flour, or an all-purpose gluten-free flour), I can buy everything else here in Czech with all the new gluten-free products here! Thank you Czech for the gluten-free food! It makes my life so much easier.

The only other thing that you can't buy here (well, not that I know of) is the "guar gum", which acts as a binder in the recipe. It just makes the bread less crumbly. If you don't mind crumbs, I think this recipe would work without it.

Thanks to Karina Alrich from the glutenfreegoddess blog for an amazing recipe yet again! I just adjusted a couple of the things to suit my tastes...but it's a great recipe "as is" too! All credit goes to her for this recipe!

Ingredients:

First, preheat oven to 350 F (180 C)

2/3cup packed organic light brown sugar

5 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 cup light olive oil

1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer whisked with 1/4 cup warm water (or two large eggs, beaten)

1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract

1 cup pumpkin puree (canned pumpkin is fine)

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup millet flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon guar gum

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or gluten-free Pumpkin Pie Spice blend

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

Pinch ginger

Instructions:
1. Mix brown sugar, maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin and lemon juice in a large bowl until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients into the wet.
4. Prepare a large loaf pan (or 3 little ones) by greasing the pans- use Pam, or butter, or whatever else you normally use so that a loaf comes out clean, and doesn't stick!
5. Bake a large loaf for: 50-55 min.
Bake 3 small loaves for: 30-40 min.

This is delicious. Especially with a little bit of butter. Or cream cheese frosting. Or served with tea on a cute little saucer. Just sayin'. We all still love some fancy shmantzy extras sometimes.

So go ahead, relax in your kitchen, living room, or with your best friend, and enjoy some yummy pumpkin pie bread!

Even my puppy, Kaylie, would have really liked some of this bread! Just look at that face...

Claire's tips and substitutions:
- I like to cut down on sugar, so I put in a little more than 1/2 cup brown sugar, and added 1/4 tsp vanilla stevia (from NuStevia..it's awesome!!).
- I don't know how, but I confused 1/4 tsp of lemon juice for 1/4 CUP lemon juice this time I baked the bread. And you know what?? It turned out great!! I don't know how, but somehow it still rose, and still tasted great.

Pumpkin smoothie

2011-10-13T04:31:00.000-07:00

No taste says "fall" for me more that pumpkin. I absolutely love it. And this smoothie just hit the spot! I mean, who wouldn't want to drink something that tasted and looked like fall??

You have to try this!!

Ingredients:

1 cup of milk, or non-dairy milk of your choice (I highly recommend almond milk!!)

1/2 cup of pumpkin (either roasted pumpkin, or canned)

1/2 of a banana

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6-10 ice cubes (depending on how icy you like your smoothies...I like mine really icy!)

Sweetener of choice, if desired

Instructions:

Put everything in a blender and serve with extra spices on top! A yummy fall treat!

17th - happy day!

2011-10-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I celebrated my 17th birthday! I am so thankful for every single year that God has given me, and for all the amazing people that He has placed in my life. I pray that this year I will grow closer to Him, will find joy anywhere I go (joy= different than happiness!) and not be afraid to give my whole heart to everything I do.

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!!

With my dear friends Ashley and Hayley at the mall. :) These two (and my mom!) made my day even more special.

Coffeeeeee....

Sorry it's blurry, but I love this one!

Mom made me pumpkin pie!

And this is my class

2011-10-07T06:20:00.001-07:00

You may remember seeing one picture of our class, which was taken in our first year. We've changed quite a bit since then! I love our class.

I asked Caleb if he would be able to take some pictures of our class (for our class bulletin board), because I knew he would do an amazing job. And he did! Here's some of the first ones...raw and unedited yet! Thank you Caleb for the fun pictures!!

(By the way, notice the random pieces of clothing/accessories? Costumes make everyone smile!!)

Love these girls!

Fall leaves are awesome.

All the girls...and their "flowers". Haha!

So many words, so little time

2011-10-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Travel. Cities. Friendship. Learning. Meeting people. Challenged. Baking. Autumn sun. Birthdays. Community.

Precious memories.

Celebrating Laurel's (a dear friend and JVK) 16th birthday in Slovenia this weekend

So many words to describe my life right now. Life is wonderful, of course, but challenging too. There have been high points and low(er) points. Fun experiences abroad with friends, as well as difficulties that come with a normal school routine. It all has been intertwining this past month. It's hard to even sort out the "goods" and the "bads".

With BMA's Romanian "sister school for the day" at the ACSI Student Leadership Conference in Budapest- love these people so much!

But what I do know, is that God has been so faithful in both the little things and the big things; in both the hard things and the wonderful things; in the highs and lows. He has blessed me with unexpected joys, and also taught me things that were not always easy.

All I can say, is:

God is GOOD.

And I am so grateful to Him for every little detail that He plans for my life, no matter what it is. I'm even thankful for bright red apples, and a doggy who gets excited about licking them, and trying to eat them. She makes me smile.

A little art

2011-09-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is so relaxing to draw with your favorite pens, paint with beautiful colors or doodle with fun crayons. This summer I got to work on some art, and I loved every bit of doing it.

This first drawing is one I did earlier this summer for our dear friends the Stephens. The picture was taken on the day that Cece (their daughter) first went to the hospital to see her newborn baby brothers. We had the privilege to be with them for this occasion, and even got to take Cece to McDonald's (her favorite place!!) while her parents stayed at the hospital for a couple of hours. I gave this picture to the Stephens as a reminder of that special day. So, here's Cece drinking her strawberry water at McDonald's! (Drawn with Copic markers)

I couldn't find the exact picture that I drew this from, but here's another one from that day. So sweet!

Another fun project I worked on was a painting at JV Kid's camp. We were challenged to make up our own flag which represented how our two cultures were woven into one-- a flag to represent our TCK (=Third Culture Kid) identity. The tree represents me growing up in both cultures, and also that I am rooted in Christ, and that's where ultimately my identity is formed!

My brother is ENGAGED!!

2011-09-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

YESSS!!!! I am SO excited to finally share the news that my brother, Tyler, is engaged to the wonderful Lara Ragan! She is beautiful, kind, loving, thoughtful and the perfect match for Tyler. I'm so happy for them! I can't even express my joy to see my brother so happy, and to know that I will soon have a sister!

Happiness!! Can't help from smiling every time I look at these pictures.

Cook for the week

2011-09-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, that title can only mean one thing: my Mom's been gone for the week. So, that makes me the cook! My Dad and Caleb can totally fend for themselves when the women are gone, but it takes a lot of the pressure off of them when they don't have to do that. With all of the things they do outside of the home, and around the house too, it's my time to step up to the job.

Lucky for me, I like to cook. I like to bake even more, but that's just because I have more of a sweet tooth. Heehee. If I have time, creativity, and the freedom to buy whatever I need (or use my creativity in the pantry and freezer!), then I do enjoy cooking. Especially when listening to an audiobook, a sermon podcast, or some good music. What makes cooking even more fun is doing it with a friend, which I also got to do this weekend. (Thank you, Hayley, for coming on Wednesday!)

All in all, cooking can either be taken as a burden, or as an opportunity to express yourself, be creative, and use what resources you have. This week, I chose the latter. I did have to make the choice though. Will I make my standby recipes (taco salad, chilli...), or will I explore the kind of cooking that I like to eat, something different than the way my mom cooks? I do love my Mom's cooking, but there's no way I can replicate it exactly, so why not just create my own style, use my own recipes?

So, every day, I had to ask myself some questions...

1. What food do I have in the fridge, pantry, or freezer?
2. What do I have time for?
3. Do I have time to go shopping?
4. What do I want to eat?

And here's the menu that resulted out of that thinking:
Monday: Tuna noodle with peas (everything from the pantry and freezer! Woohoo!)
Tuesday: Chicken Stir fry (picked up ginger, onions and some fruit at the store) over rice
Wednesday: Soup night with Hayley (soup is her favorite!): Vegetarian chilli- delicious, hummus with veggies (had to actually grocery shop for this one + pick up some essentials like milk, eggs...)
Thursday: improvising night: I have leftover rice in the fridge, frozen corn in the freezer, leftover ginger, one chicken breast leftover from Tuesday, plenty of eggs, and Harry Potter 4 playing in my headphones.

What to make?

...

Fried rice with vegetables and chicken

Ingredients:
(You can use any vegetables you have on hand) I used:
- Frozen corn
- Frozen green beans
- 2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- chicken breasts - how ever many you want, I only used one, because that's all I had
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 low-sodium chicken broth/ bouillon
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 can pineapple, drained
- 2-4 cups of chilled cooked rice (or however much you need to use!)
- 1/2-1 tsp (approx.) Siracha chilli sauce- optional
- Cilantro flakes, or fresh cilantro- optional
- Soy Sauce- to top- optional
- Salt and pepper

I could type out the directions for cooking exactly, but I think part of cooking is experimenting, adding your own style to it. There isn't much you can do wrong in this recipe. But just to help you out a little, I'll give you a few of tips:

1. Heat oil in a wok pan at high temp and cook chicken first, then add onions, carrots and garlic.
2. Add eggs however you want, either cook them first as an omelet type thing and cut them into strips, or mix them and pour them over the rice, chicken and veggie mix and cook until there's no more runny parts
3. Listen for a sizzling sound when you're cooking the rice. You want it to brown slightly. Fry that rice!!
4. The pineapple is the last thing to add.

Don't forget the soy sauce! Buy light soy sauce that contains no gluten.

Got it? Now go look in your pantry, freezer and fridge, and get cookin'! Use whatever you can find and feel free to alter the recipe, and most importantly...

Have fun!

Oh, I did get to do some of my baking too before I made dinner... How could I resist the urge to make this amazing cinnamon bread? Makes me smile.

Signs of Autumn

2011-09-10T12:52:00.000-07:00

It seems like every time I come to the crest of one season, and head into a new one, I just can't help but go outside to enjoy it. There's something intriguing to me about the little changes that soon become a completely different season.

I love all of the subtle changes: the bright sunlight turning into more of a glow, the leaves losing their deep green color, acorns growing, blackberries bursting with flavor, the corn soon to be harvested, the apples falling off of trees and scattering the ground. I love it all.

For the posts that preclude this one, go to these posts:
(Chronologically)
Frosty Mornings
Fresh Spring Energy
First Signs of Life
Summer glow

Chocolate cookies

2011-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

There is a secret place, deep inside of me that is satisfied only by chocolate. Well...maybe it's not exactly that way... But don't we all kind of have those kinds of places? Ok, no, seriously now. Who doesn't love a chocolate cookie every once in a while? Especially when that cookie is crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, with melted chocolate chunks in between. What more could you want from a cookie?

These cookies remind me of the taste of brownies, but are not as heavy. They are a cinch to make if you have the right ingredients on hand. For those of you who are not regular gluten-free bakers and don't have all the special flours, I'm genuinely sorry! But not to worry, there are recipes out there for good chocolate cookies made out of *gasp!*- wheat flour. You do what works though. Each to his own! My own just happens to have to be gluten-free, which I actually love now. It's an adventure, it's challenging, and I know it's better for my body.

Chocolate cookies
(Thanks to Karina Alrich at glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com for her wonderful recipe! I just changed a couple of small things to fit what I had on hand, but the credit goes to her!)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line one or two baking sheets with an Exopat or Silpat liner.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

1/2 cup buckwheat flour or certified gluten-free oat flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch (not potato flour!)
1/3 cup organic cocoa
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar

Add in:

1/4 cup agave or pure maple syrup
1/2 cup light grapeseed oil or butter, if you can tolerate it
1 tablespoon bourbon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk, coconut milk, or almond milk- more as needed

As you beat the dough pay close attention to the consistency. Add more rice milk a tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until you achieve a smooth but sturdy cookie dough. I added two more tablespoons of rice milk to my dough.

Add in:

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Stir as best you can to combine (the dough is stiff).

Roll a golf ball sized wad of dough between your palms, and place the ball on the lined baking sheet about two inches apart. Repeat this process to make 18 balls. Use your palm to press down on the dough and flatten slightly- not too much- unless you like your cookies thin. Press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies, if you like.

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for about 15 minutes until the cookies are set. They will still be slightly soft in the center. If you bake two pans at once, rotate the pans half way through baking.

Remove the pans from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool and "set" for a few minutes; then use a thin spatula to move the cookies to a wire rack. The cookies will get crisper as they cool.

Cook time: 15 min

Yield: 18 cookies

Claire's notes:

- These are great for those of you who can't tolerate eggs, or are vegan! They're also great for those of us who like to eat cookie dough! Heehee...

- I feel like these are even better the next day! You can also freeze them and then pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds. They'll taste like they're just out of the oven!

Built upon the rock

2011-09-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

There's something reassuring to me about things built of stone. It makes me think of the verse in Luke 6:

"They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."

Stones lay a firm foundation, and are not easily destroyed. If you think about it, it's not wooden villages and houses that have stood the test of time, but ancient cities like Athens, or Rome, which are both built mostly out of stone.

Sometimes, when we drive through Croatia, and see village after village with its old houses, churches and streets, I wonder, "How long has that been there?". It's so amazing that things can be built centuries ago, and yet today, we can still admire them and enjoy the craftsmanship of those old days.

What would it be like if we built our own houses upon the rock, and out of stone? I'm not talking about our physical houses here. What if our foundation was as firm as that of one of these Croatian houses? Would we then stand the test of time too? Would we withstand droughts, floods, fires and fierce winds?

And what kind of legacy would we leave?

Would we be able to fly our flags freely, knowing we were safe from any harm?

What is our firm foundation anyway? How do we build our lives upon the Rock?

1 Peter 2:6:
"For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”"

Ephesians 2:19-21:

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord."

Matthew 7:25:
"The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

Vacation memories

2011-08-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's time for vacation memories again! We had our ninth vacation this year with the Ellenwood and Hash family.

Sadly, this special tradition is coming to a close. In one year three family members will be at college. The year after that another three will leave, and there would only be one kid left. We decided that we wanted to end well, on a high note, and not make something last just "because". We may still do things together, but not as a whole group. This does not mark the end of vacations. This marks the end of vacation as we've known it, and the start of new, different kinds of adventures.

Is there such a thing as too many pictures? No, I don't think so. But, having so many pictures does make it quite hard to choose which ones to share with you! I'll share a few of my favorites from this year...

The whole group!

One of our favorite things to do on vacation: reading in the campground

We have awesome food on vacation, including Uncle Dan's morning eggs!

Our beach is straight ahead! (Taken by Caleb)

Beautiful evening trips to Croatian towns (Taken by Caleb)

The Patty girls!

I get to spend three weeks with this lovely lady on the left. :)

Never a dull moment with Hayley Ellenwood!

The city of Hvar: enchanting. (Taken by Caleb)

Birthday celebration dinner at a local restaurant. Mom turned 50 on the 17th, Noah turned 16 on the 19th!

Spicy chickpea soup

2011-08-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I wrote about They Draw&Cook. I shared this recipe with you:

Well, now I can say that this recipe was a great success! It was tasty, unique, smooth and fancy-feeling. I made a couple of changes to the recipe:
- I subbed chilli flakes for the Jalapeno pepper and green beans (and frozen at that!) for spinach, because I didn't have any.
- I used a lactose-free cream, so that I could eat this yummy soup too!
- I pureed the soup, to make it creamy and smooth with an immersion blender.
- We served this with some grilled pangasius, which was an excellent combination! A bite of fish, and a spoon-full of soup...yum!

And I just have to share this awesome picture with you. This is my cousin Kendra, on family reunion. Do you see any resemblance?

Audrey Hepburn and Kendra

Happy Lemon Spritz cookies

2011-08-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

Oohh...I just found the happiest cookie recipe ever. Yes, happy. Simply put, eating one of these cookies is a joyous experience.

They taste like heaven in your mouth, though that also makes it hard to stop after just one! Guess you'll just have to indulge in two...maybe three, or four. That's how it went at our house! I had to give away some of them so that we didn't eat them all ourselves. Everyone who tried them loved them just as much. Make them for yourself, and you'll see!

These lemon cookies were fun to make as well. I know it looks hard, but it really doesn't take that much time. And, in the end, it's well worth the work!

Lemon Spritzer cookies (adapted to be gluten-free)
Courtesy of Aran Goyoga, and her beautiful blog Canelle et Vanille

Ingredients:

110 grams butter, room temperature
90 grams sugar
3 egg yolks
1/4 tsp lemon oil
Zest of 1 lemon
180 grams flour - or gluten-free flour blend/mix of your choice
2 grams salt

Cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest and lemon oil together until well combined. Add the yolks and mix until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix.

Place the soft dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe rosettes onto a sheetpan lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden.

Let them cool completely and fill with the lemon buttercream.

Lemon Buttercream

75 grams egg whites
150 grams sugar
225 grams butter, room temperature
Zest of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp lemon oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the bowl over a double boiler. Whisk the egg whites and sugar until the sugar starts to melt and the egg whites appear very white and light, almost like a light marshmallow. It should be very hot to the touch.

Remove the bowl from the heat and place in electric mixer. Whip until meringue forms and the bowl feels cool.

Add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Add the juice, oil and zest. It might appear as the buttercream is separating. Continue whipping until it comes together.

Claire's Tips: the buttercream is what MAKES these cookies. It is delicious! It would be great on top of a pie as well, or served over some cut fruit. Also, it's up to you if you want to sandwich to cookies like Aran did, or just pipe the buttercream on top, like I did. I tried both, and they both work, so it all depends on what you prefer.

They Draw&Cook

2011-07-31T02:21:00.000-07:00

Seriously, they draw and cook?! What better combination could there be for a website?

I found this wonderful little website through the Pioneer Woman, and was captivated by it straight away. What a wonderful idea: a place where anyone can upload their favorite recipes in illustration form.

Salli Swindell

Katie Daugherty

Alect Pee

Shirley Ng-Benitez

Lindsay Schmitt

Heather Bryant

Linda Silvestri

Amanda Kastner

These were just a few of my favorites that I've found so far. They're all so fun, stylish and inventive. Go on over and check them out yourself. Have fun exploring at theydrawandcook.com!

New Addition

2011-07-29T02:55:00.000-07:00

You're going to be seeing a lot of this cute little face in the future, because...

...this is our new addition to the Patty family!

We honestly debated not getting another dog. We weren't sure if we could go through the whole puppy process again, if we could travel with her, if we could say good-bye to yet another dog some day. We went for two weeks like this, trying to get used to a dog-less house. It didn't work though. Our family is not complete without the love, affection, and joy of a sweet doggy.

After some thought and prayer, we finally started looking around on the internet for breeders. We still weren't sure if we would find one that we liked, but figured it was worth a try. Eventually, we found one breeder, who sent us pictures of her available 6-month-old puppy. We fell in love with her right away.

The first picture.

Dad called the breeder and talked to her about the possibility of getting her. She said she wanted her to go to a loving family, because she had a special affection for this specific puppy! She didn't want her to go to just anybody...she wanted her to be a part of a family. Check! I think we've got that part down!

On Wednesday, we drove about two hours to meet her family, and to take her to her new home. When we got to the breeder's, we were tackled by 15 precious Cavalier King Charles Spaniels! They all wanted a piece of the party. Cavaliers are some of the friendliest, most loving dogs I know. Seeing them all act that way reminded me yet again that this dog was the perfect one for our family.

So, meet Kaylie!

We're still getting to know her, but we can already tell that she is loving, spunky, careful, and observant. I can't wait to find out more about her personality. She's already won a place in all of our hearts.

We all still miss Lily so much, but having Kaylie around does fill a hole. And it's nice to have a daily reminder of the love that Lily gave us. Thanks to her, we have even more love to give to Kaylie. The Lord really did bless us with this sweet new gift. I thank Him so much for knowing our hearts and our desires. He is so good!

Bittersweet days

2011-07-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

These past few days have been...

....bittersweet.

In this time of great grief for our family over Lily, we have experienced God's enormous strength, comfort, love and grace for us. That eases the pain, but it's still there.

Our family was blessed to be all together until Monday, when Tyler had to leave for training on the other side of Czech. Caleb started helping out at training on our side of the country this week. And I'm slowly starting to plan for English Camp (JV's summer evangelistic camps) which starts on Saturday. I'm thankful for this time that we've had together. God knew we needed those days to recover, so we could move into English Camp next week.

Please pray for English Camp! It's an amazing opportunity for open hearts, God's hands to be working, and for each and every one of us to grow.

*Photo credit goes to Mom for taking the picture...and Tyler for editing.

Sad night

2011-07-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

I can't even bear to relive last night to you all, but for the sake of remembering and honoring her, I knew I needed to write something.

Our dear sweet 7-year-old Lily passed away last night at 10:50, lying in Caleb's arms. It was always her favorite position to be in, and we're so glad that she could relive that one last time.

This absolutely captures who she is to all of us. Taken this winter.

She had been having some health problems for months now, but we never could figure out exactly what was happening. Finally, when we came back from the States, she took a turn for the worse. We took her to the vet and sat with her while she got blood tested, had an ultrasound, and had an IV for 3 hours. The vet put her on some antibiotic and did all he could. But dear Lily knew it was her time. And she waited until the whole family was together before she finally let go. It was a window of 48 hours that we were together as the 5 of us, but the Lord was good to us, and kept her with us long enough.

I can't even express with words how devastated and sad we are. Lily was all and more than we could ever hope for in a dog. She always comforted, always greeted, always stuck close by, went everywhere with us, and loved our family right up to the end. I'm going to miss everything about her.

Lily, thank you for hanging on for us all. You were so brave. We miss you. Lord, please take care of her. I don't know from your Word if she is with you or not, but I pray that she is. I know she is loved by her Creator. You, Father, took just as much joy in her as we did.

I know that this is not how God intended life to be...pain, suffering, death. But God has bigger and better plans for us in the end, and that's all that can really, truly comfort me right now. I'm thankful for Him.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

If you would like to hear more of the story or see more pictures, my Mom wrote it very well on her blog. Click here to read.

Taken in June 2008. One of my favorite pictures with her.

Always a part of our family...then, and forever.

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort."

2 Corinthians 1:2-4

Everyday joy

2011-07-07T05:14:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that without fail always makes me happy. I can't imagine my world without it. I find it everywhere, and encounter it every single day. I try to capture it with photos, art or by staring at it long enough.

Can you guess what makes me happy?

(*Stay tuned for the answer in my next post, and until then I'd love to hear what your guess would be!)

In personal news, we're home from the States! After a long trip home, we finally made it. Now we're trying to catch up on our hours, sleep and get over jet-lag...the usual "after-traveling" routine. It feels good to be home, but I miss all of my family and friends in the States. I loved seeing so many dear people!

I'm looking forward to spending some time now with some of my friends and "adopted" family here in Czech! Happy Summer!!

Family reunion

2011-06-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are, in Sunriver, Oregon, having so much fun together as a family! There's nothing like long days full of hikes, shopping, visiting new places, or swimming. Just to give you a picture of what this week has been like...

I hope all of you are having a great week as well! Enjoy the summery weather!

Baseball in Trinec

2011-06-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Back in January, one of my close friends from school (Magda) asked me if I would help her out with a baseball retreat that would be in June. She was going to plan the whole thing, and use it as an outreach/ get-together event. I said yes back then, and on Friday, it finally came time for it to happen!

Over 40 people came!

One of the planned "perks" were "surprise" (sorry for all the quotation marks) Americans who would come and be a part of this = Hayley, me, and our brothers. It was actually really nice going there and getting to be the "fun" Americans! It's not very often that I get to have that position, because usually I'm on the Czech team when it comes to planning events. I definitely have some Czech sides to my personality, but I have American sides too that don't come out as often!

All four of us drove to Trinec on Friday afternoon. We had quite the adventure getting to Trinec (got lost on our way and accidentally drove into Slovakia- oops!), but we got there all right in the end! The guys helped out with baseball, while Hayley and I met some of the girls and got to know them a little better. Those girls are amazing! They were so sweet to us, and made us feel so welcome. I could totally feel God's love shining through their lives, and it made me so happy.

Doing this baseball thing (even though I actually didn't play...hehe) made me realize even more that this is the kind of work that God has prepared for me. It gave me such joy to talk with the girls- about their hobbies, school, movies, but most of all, to share with them the love of God and how it has changed my life.

I pray that each girl there, and many more in the Czech republic (and in the world!), would feel God's love every day-- His true, unfailing, incredible love; one that will never leave them or disappoint them.

There was a lot going against this retreat, and it almost didn't happen. It was a spiritual battle. Things weren't coming together. People weren't able to help. The space we were going to be in almost fell through. It looked like it was going to rain. But, it was God's plan for it to happen, and it did. And I think He used it to bless many people... including me!

*And thank you Magda for everything you did to make this event happen. It would never have come together if it weren't for your vision, obedience and perseverance. I'm so glad that God put that idea into your head a couple of years ago, and that you never let that idea go.

My dear friend Magda and me earlier this month

Soft-serve style

2011-06-04T04:15:00.000-07:00

It's not quite officially summer, but it's sure starting to feel like it to me! Warm humid days are here, along with those wonderful afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers. Either way, there are definitely days when we all need a little pick-me-up....soft-serve style.

As most of you know, I'm lactose-intolerant. That means no ice cream for me! *Sad face*. I had to figure out something that would satisfy that craving on hot sunny days. Here's a simple, delicious, healthy alternative to ice cream (and it's dairy-free too!). Let's give a round of applause for...

Banana strawberry soft-serve ice cream

Ingredients:
Frozen banana slices
Frozen strawberries
Sweetener of your choice (optional)

Method:
1. Slice up as many bananas you would like into about 1-inch rounds and freeze them in a plastic bag.
2. Place all ingredient in your high-powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
3. For firmer ice cream, put in freezer for 30 minutes or more, stirring the ice cream half way through (or every 15 minutes).
4. Serve and enjoy!

Claire's tips:

- I piped mine with a pastry bag to make it look the way it does in the picture.

- Add whatever fruit you would like for different flavorings: raspberries, blueberries, cantaloupe...

- You could even add chocolate chips or cocoa powder for a change!

- This would be really good with a dollop of whipped cream if that makes you excited. :)

- Have fun experimenting with this! The possibilities are endless.

Cinnamon quick bread

2011-05-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

Best bread ever? Quite possibly true.

I thought that this would be just another ordinary loaf of sweet bread, like banana bread or zucchini bread (which are good, but normal). But after my first taste, straight out of the oven, I was in love with this cinnamon goodness.

For those of you who would like to make this, but are not gluten-intolerant, and don't have all the special flours, you could try substituting all the flour substances (and leave out xantham/guar gum) for an all-purpose flour. I haven't tried this, so don't know how it would turn out, but it's worth the experiment. Let me know if anyone tries making this with normal flour. I'd love to know if it worked.

Gluten-free Cinnamon quick bread (All credit goes to Lauren of Celiac Teen- her recipe can be found here)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup millet flour (2.80 oz)
1/3 cup sweet rice flour (1.80 oz)
1/3 cup tapioca starch/flour (1.55 oz)
6 tbsp brown rice flour (2.45 oz)
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp oil
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Steps:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
Place the lemon juice in the milk and let sit for about ten minutes, while getting everything else ready.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a second bowl whisk together oil, eggs and vanilla. Whisk the liquids and lemon milk mixture into the dry ingredients.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Claire's Tips:

- I wanted my bread to come out all pretty, so I swirled some cinnamon/sugar/honey into my loaf like this, using a knife:

- Also, Lauren of Celiac Teen recommends using this bread for french toast. That sounds amazing, though I have not tried it yet. To find her recipe for french toast, go to her post.

Enjoy!

DIY Glass "Sippy Cup"

2011-05-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

DIY= Do It Yourself

That's always fun! I've always loved DIY projects. To make something old into something new excites me. To make one thing into something totally different gives me joy. To be creative is fun!

A few weeks ago, I came across this little DIY project and filed it away in my memory. I finally got around to it today (and it took only a couple of minutes!).

Summer is just around the corner, and the temperatures are rising every day. It's important to give our bodies what they need to stay healthy and active: water. For most people (and I admit, for me too sometimes!) it's hard to get our 8-10 cups of water in a day. So, why not make drinking water more fun? Sippy cups don't only have to be for little kids, after all!

DIY Glass Sippy Cup

You will need:

- a clean glass jar (a jam jar works, or you could buy a new one) including the lid

- a straw

- a screwdriver (or other small sharp-ish round object)

- a hammer

- scissors

- a lemon wedge and ice (optional)

Instructions (pretty easy, but I'll explain it in detail, just in case):

1. Unscrew the lid of your glass jar and place on a hard sturdy surface that won't dent if you hit it accidentally (no, that didn't happen to me! But that's something that would happen to me!)

2. Take your screwdriver or other small sharp round object and poke the end into the middle of the lid

3. Tap the screwdriver with the hammer until it pierces the lid all the way through, forming a small hole (it should be big enough for a straw to fit through)

4. Take your straw and cut off the end, so that it sticks out at the right height for you to drink at

5. Fill your jar with water, ice and a squeeze of lemon, then screw your lid back on tightly

6. Insert your straw into the hole of the lid and voila! You've got yourself a fun cup to drink out of!

Now try to stay hydrated and have a wonderful spring-y day!

Changes and brothers

2011-05-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come...I can officially move out of my wintery blog, and into my summery blog! I hope you like the new changes. Change is good, isn't it? I would way rather post on a blog that made me think of the lovely springy/summery outing with my brothers, than one that reminds me of cold winter.

This afternoon Caleb and Tyler asked me if I wanted to join them for a photography outing. Oh, how I love those! We always have so much fun together. We find joy in discovering new places, exploring the countryside, and being creative. I am so thankful for my brothers who have taught me to enjoy these moments and to find beauty in small things.

(All photos courtesy of Tyler Patty)

Chile corn chowder

2011-05-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

This recipe goes to you my dear friend Maya K.! Ever since I made it for her once, she's been asking for the recipe, and I keep on forgetting to give it to her. But now I will finally share it!

I absolutely love this soup. It's all you could want from corn chowder. Warm and cozy on a cold winter day, refreshing on a balmy spring evening. It goes really well with toasted bread, or rolls (like our Shar brand of gluten-free ciabatta...would recommend those!), or a simple salad. The spices are perfect.

All credit for this soup recipe goes to Jamie Oliver. He has a great iPhone app of a whole bunch of recipes, and that's where I got this one. For more fun recipes, you can purchase that app too!

Tip: Be sure to read through ALL of the instructions before making this. It could be a little confusing in the middle of your cooking if you don't know what's coming.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
400 g frozen sweet corn
1 medium potato
1.2 L vegetable broth
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
2 medium fresh chiles
1 pat butter
1 small bunch fresh thyme (make sure it's fresh!)
6 scallions or shallots *See "Claire's Tips"
Optional: Cheddar cheese (of course, I leave this out- I'm lactose-intolerant!), Sour cream
Olive Oil
Pepper
Sea salt

Instructions:
1. Fill a medium pan with the vegetable broth and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat.
2. Peel and roughly chop the onion. Trim and roughly chop the sticks of celery. Halve 1 of your chiles lengthways (deseed it if you don't like things to spicy), then finely chop it.
3. Put a large deep pan on low to medium heat and add the pat of butter and a lug of olive oil. Meanwhile...
4. Pick the thyme leaves and discard the stalks. Add the leaves to the pan of broth.
5. Add all the chopped veggies to the large pan with a splash of water. Stir then cover with a lid and cook gently for 10 minutes, or until the vegetable start to soften. Meanwhile...
6. Peel the potato then roughly grate it onto your board. Add to the pan of simmering broth.
7. Add the corn the the large pan of vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes. Carefully pour the broth and potato into the pan and bring everything to the boil.
8. Simmer for 5 minutes then take the pan off the heat. While simmering, trim and finely slice your scallions and finely slice the remaining chile. Grate the cheddar.
9. Pulse the chowder a few times with the hand blender so it's still quite rustic and chunky.
10. Taste and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper then cover with a lid.
11, Spoon a dollop of sour cream over each bowl then sprinkle the grated Cheddar cheese, sliced scallion and chile. Gorgeous!

Claire's Tips:
- Be extremely careful when cutting your chile pepper. DO NOT touch your nose, mouth, and worst of all, eyes while cutting a chile pepper. I learned that the hard way. My eyes started burning so badly that dinner was half an hour late, because I couldn't stop the watering. I finally had to go stick my head in the snow (it was still winter) to numb my face, and after that I was ok! Luckily, Hayley was over that night, so we had quite a funny time of figuring out how to get my eyes to stop burning. I would recommend using rubber gloves when cutting chile pepper though!
- I made another mistake once while making this soup, and it actually turned out to be really good! I confused scallions with shallots and also didn't read the instructions thoroughly, so didn't know that the scallions/shallots were just a garnish. I put in an extra three or four little shallots (sweet little brown onions) in with the vegetable mix, and it was delicious! Hey, you never know when a mistake will be a success!
- Make lots of this soup!! It makes great leftovers, plus, from experience, people always want seconds.

JV Spring Conference 2011

2011-05-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

I don't have any pictures to share from JV confernce, but I do have one little thought to share.

Picture courtesy of http://www.leonclift.com/.

The theme for the adults at this year's annual JV conference was "Faith That Amazes". The program for the kids was preparing for a choir/variety show that we would perform on Sunday for the parents (adults). I never expected that the adults' theme would actually play out in the kids program too, but it did. And it amazed me.

Korban and Tanya came from Indiana to lead the kid's program this year. We hardly knew them before Conference, but I felt so loved by them this week. They didn't just come to teach songs, but to serve. They sure did serve me. They exhibited faith in a way that I would never have imagined.

They taught me that whatever I do, I can do it for the Lord; do it to His glory.

Simple, I know. But it's more than just words. It's my life.

As I go back to a normal schedule this week, I don't want to forget this simple truth that I learned from Korban and Tanya's example. God is above everything. He is in everything. And I am not alone. His plans are perfect, and He leads me each step of the way. Remind us again Lord, that You are in control.

"So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

Just like a fairytale

2011-05-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

The light is fading.

The birds are singing.

A warm breeze is blowing.

Oh, how I love Spring evenings! What better time to go for a walk than this?

Take me with you?

Bird of paradise bud

There's no place like it

Shafts of light

Whisper of the leaves

Gateway to Pavlina

Going someplace?

Two worlds collide

Gone climbing.

Protection

Strawberries to be

New crop

Closing the day

Release

2011-05-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture from one of my favorite DeviantArt artists today. DeviantArt is a website where any and all artists can share their art online. I love to see people's creativity and their amazing skills! This artist in particular gives me so much joy because of the stories behind each of her pictures.

This picture, though simple, speaks a thousand words to me. It reminds me to enjoy the details in life. It makes me think of releasing all the cares of this world and living freely, focusing on something Bigger.

May you experience this kind of joy today as you go through your day!

If you want to see more art like this, go to: http://ittybittynidhi.deviantart.com/

All credit for this art goes to Nidhi, the artist! She is amazing!

Catch-it

2011-05-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

I just got home from an amazing weekend yesterday. It's hard for me to even explain in words all that God did at our school's student-led retreat. But let me just tell you...God is amazing. God is true. God is good.

More than 30 students joined us up at the hotel (Hotel KAM- a Christian hotel that is one of JV's training centers here in Czech) for three days of baseball, workshops, games, seminars and discussion groups. My dad spoke for the seminars and clearly presented the Gospel to all of these BMA students. God was clearly present at Catch-it, and I think that people could feel it.

I had the pleasure of leading a discussion group for some of the girls, along with being the photographer for the weekend (or one of them). I'm so glad I got to be at Catch-it.

Yep, that's my dad in the middle there. He was in the drama workshop one afternoon and had a lot of fun!

Easter recipes

2011-04-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

Easter is such a great holiday. I love celebrating what Jesus did for us...what he did for me. It overwhelms me every time to think of what a great sacrifice He made for me. I don't deserve that kind of love at all, but He gives it to me! It's my greatest pleasure and honor to take that gift of love, and hopefully to give some love back to Him by spending time with Him, getting to know Him, serving Him, obeying Him and living my whole life with Him as my ultimate prize.

Our family has a tradition of Easter egg hunts and Easter desserts after our church's morning service. It's been something we've done since we were little, originally with the Pitcher family, but now it's evolved into a party of 32 people (sadly, without the Pitchers now)! With so many people over, what better opportunity to bake my heart out?! I love baking, so this was a mass baking time for my grandma and me! So fun.

We had lots of friends over, including the Bozon family, the Till family, the Rumbold family (all the way from Slovakia!), the Lobels with their one-month old baby boy, Carter, Katka, and our dear friends the Nemcovi who are living in our guest apartment at our house right now. Of course my grandparents were a part of our celebration as well!

I thought I'd share some of the recipes that were a hit at Easter. It was such a joy to host people and to offer them what I have to give.

First off...

Grain-free peanut butter banana muffins (by Carol Kicinski at www .simplygluten-free.com.)

Ingredients:
4 large eggs – separated
¾ cups creamy peanut butter
2 ripe medium bananas – sliced in ½ inch slices
¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
1 ½ cup walnuts – chopped -I used pecans here. Nuts are optional.
2/3 c. chopped chocolate or chocolate chips- my addition, and I definitely recommend it!

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
-Place muffin baking papers in muffin pan.
-In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
-In another large mixing bowl beat egg yolks with electric mixer until they start to lighten in color, about 2 minutes. Add peanut butter, sliced bananas, salt, vanilla and agave syrup or honey. Mix until well blended and the bananas are incorporated. Some small chucks of bananas are ok.
-Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix into the peanut butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the peanut butter mixture into the egg whites and fold in well. You want to mix until no more white streaks are visible.
-Fold in 1 cup of chopped walnuts (or pecans!) if using.
-Fill muffin baking papers until almost full, if using nuts sprinkle additional ½ cups over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and set. A tooth pick inserted will come out clean.

Makes 12 gluten free muffins.

_____________________________________________

Next up...

Silvana Nardone's chocolate chip cookies (taste just like the real thing!)

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes: 18 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 12 minutes

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons Silvana's All-Purpose Flour (or a store-bought gluten-free flour blend) - For Europeans- I buy my gluten-free flour at Marks&Spencer's! It's perfect!
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup all-vegetable shortening, at room temperature - Use real butter here if not lactose-intolerant or vegan
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a large bowl and using a fork, beat together the shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually mix the flour mixture; stir in the chopped chocolate.

3. Using a 1½-inch (3.5-cm) scoop or a rounded tablespoon, drop the dough 2 inches (5-cm) apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Baked until golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer to a brown paper bag-lined surface or a wire rack to cool.

*Recipe from Cooking for Isaiah...I love that cookbook so much! It's just inspiring. You would never think that gluten-free food was bland after her recipes!

_______________________________________________________

And the famous...

Raspberry Lemon muffins with lemon drizzle (Sorry, I absolutely cannot find where I got this recipe! I'm sorry I can't give credit where credit is due! These muffins are amazing though!!)

Dry

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1 c. rice flour or sweet rice flour

1/2 cup of corn starch (+1 TBS to coat raspberries)

1/2-1 tsp guar gum or xantham gum (depending on how you like the crumb to be on your muffin)

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

Wet

3/4 cup grapeseed oil (or other light tasting oil)

1 1/2 cup sugar (use organic if you can!)

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 TBS lemon juice (zest lemons first before juicing them!! I made that mistake twice!)

1/2 cup of milk

two lemons zested

1 cup of raspberries (I used frozen)

Glaze

1 cup of icing sugar

2 TBS of lemon juice

1 TBS of water

Directions:

- Preheat over to 350 F (180C)

- Line your muffin tin with papers

- Whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 1/2 cups almond flour, 1 c. rice flour, 1/2 corn starch, guar gum, sea salt, baking powder and set aside.

- In a new bowl mix together wet ingredients: 3/4 c grapeseed oil, 1 1/2 c sugar, 3 large eggs, 2tsp vanilla extract, 4 TBS lemon juice, 1/2 cup of milk and two lemons zested.

- Get out 1 cup of ftozen raspberries and toss together with ! TBS of cornstarch

*This prevents the raspberries from overly bleeding into the muffin batter and making them pink

- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combines. Add the raspberries in and mix until distributed throughout (be careful not to over mix or they will bleed!)

- Use a cookie scoop of 1/4 cup measurer and put a scoop of batter into each of the lined papers. Fill almost to the top of the paper.

- Bake regular muffins for 24-26 minutes

To make glaze:

- Mix together all ingredients until well combined. When muffins are cool to the touch, lightly drizzle the glaze over the top of the muffin. Delicious!

These are soooo good! They're Bapa's favorites- and he's not even on a gluten-free diet!!

Stay tuned for recipes by Grandma!

Claire's note: Don't know how to make almond flour?? Check this guide out! It's great!

Buttercups

2011-04-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

The littlest things can be all it takes to make your day. On a day like yesterday, when I was feeling tired, stressed and on the verge of a cold, Bapa knew that I needed a perk.

There are just some moments when I am forced to slow down and smile, appreciate the simplest things in life.

Here's how our conversation went:

Bapa: How are you today?
Me: Uhh...actually not so good. I'm feeling a little sick.
Bapa: Oh, you are! That's not good!
Me: Yeah... I just want to crawl into bed and fall asleep...but still have stuff I have to do for school. Ugh...
Bapa: Well, I'll cheer you up. *Smile*
Me: Ok... maybe it'll help... What could he possibly do?

In about 20 minutes I hear Bapa coming up the stairs.
"I've got something for you!" he says.

And then...

Bapa walked down to the little stream by our house and picked me a bouquet of buttercups! Is that sweet, or what?! That definitely was not was I expected...it was so much better! Just what I needed. Thank you Bapa!!

To accompany such happy flowers, listen to this song. It's perfect! (Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations)

The Cookie Monster and celebrating

2011-04-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last night after dinner I baked some chocolate chip cookies/scones and left them out on the pan. Little did I know that during the night, something mysterious would happen to some of those unfortunate cookies...

But the cookie monster didn't fool me! I know my brother's hand-writing when I see it! (Nice try Caleb!)

On another note, I just realized that this is my 101 post (I missed the 100 mark just by a little bit). Time for a celebration! Any ideas or requests?

Oatmeal

2011-04-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

For some of you, when you see the word "oatmeal" you squirm. You're thinking slimy, sticky, tasteless oatmeal. Some of you, on the other hand, get that warm feeling in your tummy of comfort and contentment. For you, oatmeal is smooth, creamy, rich and sweet. Hopefully if you don't like oatmeal, you will enjoy this recipe anyway, and if you do like it...enjoy!

First of all, I have to admit something. Yep, I'm the one that keeps the container of brown sugar close to my bowl so that I can keep adding it to sweeten each "layer" of oatmeal. No shame. I just love that melted goodness that flavors every bite. But lately I've been trying to figure out other ways to sweeten my oatmeal, without sacrificing that joy from brown sugar. I finally found the solution! It's subtle, but delicious.

Banana Oatmeal (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Recipe by Claire Patty
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Certified gluten-free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 cup milk of your choice- almond, rice, dairy... (I used a rice-soy milk)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana- mashed (really mash it!!)
2 tsp pure maple syrup (I didn't measure here...just poured a little in!)

For topping: 2 tsp brown sugar, nuts, cut up fruit, flax seed (really good for you, and hardly adds any flavor), a splash of milk

Instructions:
1. In a small saucepan at medium heat combine all ingredients and stir.
2. Stirring occasionally, let the oatmeal come to a bubbling point (but don't let it full out boil, because you could risk it burning)
3. Stir continually until the oatmeal is the consistency that you want it. (Some people like it more like porridge, some like it sticky, some like runny...you get the picture)
4. Top with some brown sugar and anything else you want. Pour a little cold milk around the outside of the bowl to cool off your oatmeal, and enjoy!

For more breakfast ideas, check out some of these delicious recipes:

Gluten-free Blueberry Muffins by Karina Allrich
Cranberry Banana Smoothie by Karina Allrich
Almond flour pancakes by Elana Amsterdam
Cinnamon bun muffins by Elana Amsterdam
Raspberry Scones by Katie

Have a nice morning!

Grandma and Bapa

2011-04-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

For a while now, my grandparents (on my Mom's side) have been wanting to come visit us. It's been five years since they've been here, and they love coming here! So now, finally, they are here! They're staying for a little more than a month, which means they'll be here to Easter too.

Let me introduce my grandparents to you.

First, this is my Bapa (the name given to him by Tyler when he was a little kid):

He is so kind, hard-working, generous, and loves to have a good laugh. When he comes to Czech he can't get enough "kolaci" (as he calls them), which are typical Czech pastries. Bapa is actually half Czech (his grandparents were both from Czech), so he feels right at home here. His hobby is yard-work, which he does marvelously! Good thing he likes working in the yard, because there's never ending work to be done in our yard! He adores my grandma, and often tells me how beautiful she is. He is totally still in love with her. It's so sweet the way he treats her.

When Bapa is at home, he gets terrible headaches, so has to have couple shots of espresso a day to ease the pain. Somehow, miraculously, when he's here in Czech, he doesn't get headaches! Praise God! It's been fun to see him full of energy and health.

Now, meet my Grandma:

I wish I had a picture where you could see more of her elegance, but in a way, this one captures her beauty too. Her blue eyes are striking!

Grandma is one of the most elegant women I know. She carries herself with such poise and beauty. She is an amazing cook, and always makes sure we're taken care of throughout the day. One of her hobbies is taking pictures with her old little Canon. She doesn't know much about cameras, but despite that she just loves capturing memories! She is also very interested in healthy living, and does everything she can to support her and Bapa's health. She takes care of Bapa well when he's not feeling good! Grandma loves all things that are pretty, whether it be a simple necklace, a pink flower, or a crystal bowl... those things all make her so happy.

It's great having them here with us. It's not very often that I get to see my grandparents every day! We love making memories together. I love them!

Spring is coming...it's on its way

2011-03-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love when spring subtly comes along? Those warm breezes are refreshing; the sun lightens our mood; every blooming flower is a little surprise of color.

To brighten your day, I'll show you a place that is very close to my heart...

This path actually has a lot of meaning to me. When the Pitchers (a missionary family that has now moved back to the U.S.) lived just across the river, this is where we would meet, play and explore. Since they moved, I haven't been around this area. I guess I just forgot about it. But not anymore.

There is a little "farm house" right next to the river (it's really more of a stream, I guess) that has chickens...

...goats...

...and an adorable little kitty.

When I was a kid, there wasn't a bridge here. We would always hop across rocks to cross the stream. In fact, I hadn't even seen this bridge until now!

What a beautiful way to connect the two sides of this village.

Splashing our feet, collecting pretty rocks, picking flowers, walking as far as we could in the water... I have so many memories here.


Crocuses are one of my favorite flowers, because when they bloom, it is almost guaranteed that Spring is here to stay!

On my way back home.

JV Ladies Retreat- A First

2011-03-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

You're probably thinking... isn't a ladies retreat for missionary women, not missionary kids? Well, yes. But I kind of "cheated the system" and got to go as a babysitter for the week! What a privilege and joy to get to serve some of the most loving, brave and beautiful women I know.

Me and Laurel Jackson (my dear JVK friend in Slovenia) watched four babies, all under 7 months, during the teaching sessions. With nap schedules and eating schedules, only once did we have all four babies at once, so it was fine! I had so much fun getting to know each baby's personalities... it's amazing how unique each baby can be even at such a young age.

Not only did I watch babies throughout the week, but I also had the job of taking pictures (which, if you know me, I love!). Whenever I could, I snapped pictures, trying to capture the feel and "culture" of a JV Women's retreat. Since there is no way to describe how wonderful that "culture" is, let me share some pictures with you.

Come on in and join us...

We got to stay in a renovated Polish palace. I felt like a princess all week...and I was the baby-sitter! :)

The dining room was my favorite...what a special place to talk, eat good food, and sip a nice cup of tea.

It was so fun watching my mom and Aunt Amy do what they do best- minister to women. They've been planning conferences for so many years together, and now I finally got to see them in action! Here they're running a game for the women.

Answering fun questions and sharing their hearts. What fun for us women! :)

One of the babies I watched last week- Benjamin Saar. Such a sweetie! He got all bundled up for an outing to a special town...

Boleslawiec- the home of polish pottery!! JV Women love polish pottery, so we spent a whole afternoon pottery shopping. It was fun shopping with my mom too.

If you don't know polish pottery, it's time to learn about it! It's so beautiful, artistic, individual and special.

Isn't it beautiful?

Laurel was such an encouragement and help in baby-sitting! I only see her twice a year, so it was a perk to be with her all week!

All the sweet JV Women! I love them! It was a blessing to get to spend some extra time with them, not to mention, baby-sit their kids!

Mint tea with lemon

2011-03-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

So simple. So soothing. Classic, but often forgotten!

Many people associate mint with ice cream, or chocolate, but mint actually has some serious health benefits! Here's what I found:

"Mint is also said and in many cases proven to:

Relieve symptoms of indigestion, heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome by relaxing the muscles in and around the intestine.
Act as a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body against the formation of cancerous cells.
Inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria and fungus.
Ease and unblock the breathing and respiratory passages and airways.
Relieves the symptoms of colds and flu.
Mint can help with nasal allergies.
It can relieve congestion, head colds and headaches.
Act as a mild sedative and has calming properties.
Relieve minor aches and pains such as muscle cramps and sprains.
Combat bad breath.
Provides a cooling sensation to the skin and can help to treat minor burns, itching and skin irritations.
Mint is a very good cleanser for the blood.
Mint tea can help clear up skin disorders such as acne."

(http://www.helpwithcooking.com/herb-guide/mint.html)

My tea recipe is simple:

Mint tea

1. Buy fresh mint leaves (either the whole plant, or any fresh leaves)

2. Boil a pot of water and pour over 4-6 mint leaves, depending on how "minty" you like your tea

3. Squeeze in some lemon juice and add a spoon full of honey

4. Let steep for 3-5 minutes and enjoy!

Homemade Gluten-free Thin Mints

2011-03-08T09:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you who read my mom's blog regularly (livingbylysa.blogspot.com), you may have read a post where she talked about some thin mints that I had made. Well, the wait is over! Here, now, you can finally see how I made them.

First of all, let me just say, these cookies were amazing. So worth the wait and the odd (for gluten-eaters) ingredients-- mainly flours. They took a little extra time to make, but don't let that stop you from trying these! You'll be glad you made them. My whole family loved them so much! My dad was even wondering if I could make a whole bunch of these and keep them in the freezer... (sorry Dad, I dont think they would keep that long, and it would take a lot of time to cut out that many cookies!).

For those of you who can eat gluten, I'm sure these would be a lot easier if you found a recipe using normal flour. But then, you might as well just buy the Girl Scout Cookie brand (though my family said they liked the homemade ones more anyway). But if you're gluten-intolerant, or live overseas, making homemade thin mints is so rewarding!

Gluten-free Dairy-free Egg-free Thin Mints

Recipe courtesy of: Jennifer Kelly, here

Adapted from Gluten-Free Baking by Rebecca Reilly

Makes about 48 small cookies

For cookies:

1 1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1/3 cup + 3 heaping Tbsp dark cocoa blend
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
½ cup organic shortening
4 Tbsp cold water
¼ cup honey or agave
1 tsp peppermint extract or flavoring
¼ cup tapioca flour, for rolling the dough

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the shortening and incorporate with a pastry cutter or fork. Stir in the water, honey, and peppermint mint extract, until pea-size crumbs form. Knead dough gently until it comes together in a ball. If it seems dry, add 2 to 3 Tbsp more water. Dough should be pliable like play-doh, not sticky. (If dough does seem sticky, dust with a bit of tapioca flour, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.)

Roll dough 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick (depending on your preference) on parchment dusted with the tapioca flour. Cut into circles using a small lid or cookie cutter. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 1/2-inch apart.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes; let cool completely on baking sheet as they ‘crisp’.

For Chocolate Coating:

2 to 3 cups dark (60 percent or more cocoa) chocolate chips
1 to 2 tsp peppermint extract or flavoring

Line a baking sheet or two with parchment.

Melt chocolate (you may want more or less, depending on your preference). Remove from heat and stir in peppermint extract, to taste. For a thick chocolate layer, dip cookies in chocolate using a fork to lower each, then tap the fork against the inside of the bowl to remove chocolate.

Let coated cookies dry on parchment-lined sheets until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Save time by freezing the baking sheets.

Notes, tips, and short-cuts:
- I do not recommended refrigerating this dough for more than 24 hours; it dries out. It can be revived with a bit of water, but it's not ideal.
- If you eat dairy, butter (brought to room temperature) may be used in place of the shortening.
- Dark cocoa produces darker chocolate cookies. Jet black cocoa (ultra-Dutched cocoa) is available at gourmet and specialty shops. Alternatively, you can use regular cocoa powder, but it will result in a lighter-colored cookie.
- If you'd like to skip rolling the dough, simply divide it, roll into two logs, and slice into 1/8-inch discs. Bake as directed.
- If you prefer less chocolate on the cookies, or a quicker way to coat them, dip only the tops of the cookies. Or use a pastry brush to brush the cookies with melted chocolate.

As I said before, I know the directions look long, but it's really not that difficult. And the finished product is simply-- DELICIOUS.

My little buddy

2011-02-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

I just couldn't resist sharing this picture with you all. This is Lia. She's my little five-year-old fellow JVK, whom I absolutely adore!

My mom and I were at Albert (our local grocery store) and ran into Lauren (Lia's mom) and the kids. It was such a pleasant surprise for both her and me! I love small-town life.

The crazy part is that I'm the older friend now. I remember, what seems like not that long ago, when interns or any Americans came to Czech for camps or missions trips, I was just in awe of them. I felt so special when they would talk to me. I was pretty shy when I was little, so when someone came to me, it meant so much to me. I'm so happy that today I can be that person to someone else. How strange, yet wonderful.

Times have, and constantly are, changing.

Change up your breakfast!

2011-02-26T06:51:00.000-08:00

We all know... Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But do you treat it that way?

I love breakfast. You've probably heard me say that before. It's the first meal of the day, it gets me started in the mornings, and I can have whatever I want. But sometimes I get in "ruts", where I get bored of my morning meal. This is the reason why I'm always searching for new, fast, filling and healthy breakfast recipes.

When I first made millet, to be honest, I didn't like it. It was crunchy, did not taste like a breakfast food, and was a funny texture. Turns out, I had cooked it wrong! The key to cooking millet is enough liquid, and keeping it under the lid to cook (without stirring, like with rice). I didn't give up on millet, even after my first attempt. I was committed to finding a good recipe, because millet is such a good substitute for oatmeal (most oats are contaminated by gluten, so we have to import gluten-free oats) and we can buy it here in our local grocery store!

After trying a few different recipes, I finally found one that satisfied. I've almost got it down by heart now, and it's super easy! I make it first thing when I get up and drink tea as I wait for it to be done. Mmmm..wonderful!

So give it a chance...perk up your morning with this hot milllet porridge.

Millet porridge

By Jenny Sanders on Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 5 min
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 1-2 - depending on how much you eat in the mornings! :)

Ingredients

1/3 cup millet
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup skim milk or 1/2 cup soymilk- or any other milk you have on hand!
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons raisins ( or more, to taste) -I use cranberries here
maple syrup or honey or other artificial sweetener, to taste, fruit to top (optional)

Directions

Measure out millet and rinse thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve - this takes off the outer bitter coating on the millet, making it taste better and be healthier for you!
In a small saucepan, combine millet, water, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and raisins.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes without stirring. Keep an eye on it. It might be done earlier
If the liquid is not completely absorbed, cook for 3-5 minutes longer, partially covered.
Remove from heat.
Drizzle with maple syrup or honey (optional: top with some fresh fruit).
Serve.

In the moment

2011-02-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

I walked into the living room casually, holding a glass of water, in the middle of saying something to my mom, when I saw this:

Oh Lily, you just made my evening! Maybe this is what dogs do when we're not paying attention.

I hope this made you smile. It sure made me!