Lenten Love Song

Sometimes,

I have plans to write

blogposts

that are wonderfully insightful.

Most of the time,

I have those plans

in the middle of the night.

But now,

it is in the middle of the day,

so this is all I've got ;)

My nephew,

Judah Emerson,

was born yesterday!

He's a sweet little thing,

& he looks a lot like Kohen did;

though, I think he's got

more of Chason (dad) in him

than Kohen, so that will be fun to see!

Look at 'im! :)

What a sweetie :) I miss him already.

In other news,

LENT

is winding down...

only 2 more days to go.

A friend inspired me to

really practice Lent this year,

so I've given up something new

every week of Lent,

and it's been really awesome

to notice how much more

I've noticed God

doing things around me,

and in me,

during these weeks.

I've been as excited for Easter to come

as I always am for Christmas!

Some friends and I have been meeting

everyday

this week at 6a.m.

for morning prayer

to start the day.

Yes.

It's very early.

No.

I most definitely usually

don't get up that early.

But I have a re-awakened love for the

early morning now.

I was such an early bird

when I was younger..

Until college...

But it's funny- I usually

have a very hectic class schedule,

but this week,

one of my classes has been cancelled

for the entire week,

giving me time to study,

or rest between classes!

It's really as if God is rewarding

me decision to get up so early this week...

SO.

I can't WAIT for Sunday.

Easter is completely one of my

new favorite holidays.

And not even because of the

chocolate that I will be consuming...

And finally:

I've tried a few new recipes

that are definite winners

and I thought I'd share them with you!

Red Pepper-Carrot Soup

(I modified the recipe a bit,

since I was only cooking for myself)

INGREDIENTS:

2 Large Red Bell Peppers (plus slices for garnish, opt.)

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1 Bay Leaf

I Large Onion, sliced (2c.)

2 Large Carrots, sliced (1/2lb.)

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tsp. Salt

2 Tbs. Lemon Juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place bell peppers on baking sheet, and roast 1 hour, or until skin is wrinkled and blackened all over, turning peppers occasionally with tongs. Transfer to bowl, and cover with plastic wrap 10 minutes to steam. When peppers are cool enough to handle, rub off blackened peel, and remove seeds.
2. Heat oil in 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add curry powder and bay leaf, and stir 10 seconds. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
3. Add 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 25 minutes.
4. Transfer carrot mixture to blender, add bell peppers, and purée until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Garnish servings with bell pepper slices, if using.

(I used 1.5 peppers, 2 cloves Garlic, and no Lemon Juice.

I also sliced the peppers and baked them spread out on a pan for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

I didn't bother to take off the skins, since they were soft and blended well- saves time and effort ;)

Be warned- while boiling, this mix looks kinda iffy, but it blends really well, and is quite tasty!

A little extra salt helps, since it can be a bit bland for some tastes.

I imagine that it would be quite yummy with an added dollop of sour cream on top, too!

ALSO, I imagine that being liberal with ingredients would be good, if possible.

I think the 6 servings it's supposed to make would be little servings. I'd probably add at least 1 pepper & a few carrots...)

Honey Curry Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

6 chicken Thighs or boneless breasts

1/4 c. melted butter

1/2 c. honey

1/4 c. mustard

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 package froz. Stir Fry Veggies

(or any fresh ones you like- I've used mushrooms, green beans, broccoli, WITH the stir fry ones)

(Rice)

DIRECTIONS:

(Prepare rice, either in pot, or by rice cooker.)

Cook the chicken in water, so it will be cooked but tender. Small pieces are best.

In a pan, combine all sauce ingredients, stir, and then add all remaining ingredients.

Let it simmer until veggies are to desired crunchiness/softness.

Serve over rice (or on it's own- I love it over Jasmine Rice!!!!)

And there you have it!

2 really good recipes to try.

I've been cooking a lot lately,

so I'll keep you updated with more recipes!

Have a wonderful day, my friends :)