Home for the holidays (hooray!)

I was awoken very early this morning by some bird or unthinkable city varmint screeching outside my window, and I am too excited to go back to sleep. It feels like Christmas morning when Kelsey and I would wake up at 4 (and then wake up Lindsey) and have to kill time until Mom and Dad let us wake them at 6 to open presents. Instead of doing puzzles like we did back then, I have enjoyed digging up old photos.

In four hours, Kelsey and I will board a plane; in nine hours, Ken will pick us up from the Kansas City airport; in 11 hours, we will meet Dad and Lindsey in Junction City; and in 13 hours, we will be home!

1991

1993

1994

2010

I love this time of year and I love being home, where the only changes to tradition are worsened vision, improved hairstyles and Baby Sister has gotten slightly less sassy. (Although I also wouldn't mind sleeping past 4.)

Merry Christmas!

With love.

What Child Is This

Advent has always been my favorite time of year. Admittedly, when I was young, I loved this time because it meant that Santa was coming soon. But as I've grown up and learned more about God's love for me, the excitement around advent has become much more deeply rooted in my heart. This year has undoubtedly changed me forever, and advent is no exception. There is something very powerful about celebrating Jesus' coming so far from home, after a year of such unpredictable transition.

In the last 12 months, I have experienced some of the deepest sorrow and some of the greatest joy of my short life. When I stop to think about that, I truly am not sure how I could have done it all without knowing that God has a plan for me that is better than I can imagine. Last Sunday at church, we sang What Child Is This -- a song I have heard so many times -- and it struck me in a very new way. To think that Jesus came here so that I could know God and talk to him and allow him to do things like move me to Philadelphia and trust that he will continue to lead me and bring people into my life to show me his love. That he is bigger than the darkness and sadness I witness all the time and that he has and will overcome it. I am overwhelmed, humbled, thankful.

And I am also pretty terrible about maintaining this reverence throughout my busy days, but I hope you can find time to think about how much your life has been influenced this year by a God who loves you so much. It's okay to cry a little about that.

What Child is this who, laid to rest on Mary's lap, is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing; 
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here the silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, Hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, come peasant, king to own Him; 
The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise a song on high, the virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary.



With love.

hunky guest and shrimpy spring rolls

I can hardly pretend this is a recipe. It is more of another suggestion to put certain foods together to make a healthful, delightful, participatory meal. And, really, this post is more to talk about when Ken came to visit and we all made spring rolls.

These were similar to the spring rolls that Lindsay and I made in London and, in fact, came from the same package of rice paper. Souvenir! The first time, we added scrambled eggs, which was a delicious and economical protein option. But this time I was entertaining a guest, so I splurged on frozen shrimp.

While Kelsey and I slaved away, that guest kindly busied himself taking photos for of us.

Here is how we prepared spring rolls: 

1. Pour wine.

2. Chop onions, mushrooms, carrots, cucumber and red bell pepper. Sass your sister.

2. Defrost shrimp, de-tail, slice in half lengthwise. Look great doing it.

3. Sauté onions and mushrooms. Increase the volume on Passion Pit.

4. Heat water in a large skillet, sit around it, submerge a sheet of rice paper for 10 seconds, then carefully fill and roll it.

Make and eat one at a time until you've had your fill or you run out of vegetables. Dip them in peanut sauce or spicy garlic chili sauce. 

Jim and family, this one's for you:

If you can plan ahead, go to Chinatown for noodles around lunchtime and pick up some pastries on your way home for dessert. 

And if the promise of an interactive meal doesn't entice you to visit Philly, perhaps this will:

With love.

Thanksgiving sweet potatoes in December

A few weeks ago, I went to Europe. But before that, Kelsey and I were invited to a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by our Bible study leaders. The dinner was to take place the Saturday I returned to the States, and I RSVP'd enthusiastically that Kelsey and I would contribute a sweet potato dish. I delighted in knowing I would return from my trip to such a comforting American tradition. (Especially because I was going to miss my family's celebration -- wah!)

Seizing the opportunity to impress our fellow Bible studiers with a unique dish, I sent Kels the link to this Smitten Kitchen recipe that had caught my eye. While anxiously awaiting my arrival home, she picked up the ingredients: sweet potatoes, craisins, pecans, feta. I would land at 4:30, get home in time to help create a beautiful sweet potato dish and take a nap and shower and show Kelsey my 400 vacation photos and get to the dinner party by 6:30. What really happened is that my flight was delayed 90 minutes, so Kels and I grabbed a bottle of wine on the way home from the airport, I forewent the shower and we booked it to the party without the potatoes.

Now flash forward two weeks. Thanksgiving came and went, Ken came and went, and the sweet potatoes aged in our pantry. But after an eventful fortnight, we found time to make that long-anticipated dish. And we added quinoa.

These details are all important because they lead to two conclusions: some of the key ingredients were past their prime by the time we ate them, and the meal was still delicious. This practice sets up very high expectations for the next time we prepare this dish.

I also realized during the preparation of this meal how little I pay attention to detail in the kitchen. Things usually turn out pretty alright, if I do say so myself, but with Kelsey hovering as self-proclaimed "Quality Control," one notices such details as boiling a bit more water than needed to cook quinoa or taking the potatoes out of the oven before they are fork-tender. And I'll note that Quality Control turned a blind eye and, in fact, enjoyed the old potatoes, floppy celery and aged feta just as much as I did.

Plus, I have more important things to attend to. Like embroidering a pendant for the Rybread secret Santa gift exchange this weekend. I'll let you know how that turns out. Maybe.

Sweet potatoes with craisins, pecans and feta
Inspired by Smitten Kitchen

3 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 handful of pecans
1 handful of craisins
2 oz. feta cheese
1 c. quinoa, rinsed
1/2 t. dijon mustard
2 t. red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
1 pinch dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lightly coat the sweet potato pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 2 cups of water (or don't measure it, if you don't feel like it) and add rinsed quinoa. Simmer for 12ish minutes, or until fluffy, and drain off any water that's left. 

Meanwhile meanwhile, whisk together the dijon, vinegar, oil and spices.

Stir the dressing into the quinoa, then add the celery, craisins and pecans. Toss that lovely mess with the sweet potatoes and feta.

Serve as a side at Thanksgiving or eat it as a small supper two weeks later.





With love.

Chicas, vamos a comer!

The title of this post is my favorite Spanish phrase. For the two days that Lindsay and I were in Ronda, I had the great privilege of staying with her host family, which meant a cozy bed and a few very enjoyable meals around their dinner table. Each day at around 3, and again around 9, Lindsay's host mother, Reyes, would yell, "Chicas, vamos a comer!" and my heart would fill with joy. I'm not ashamed to admit that food has a way of doing that to me. And combine that with Reyes, Fernando and Lindsay all speaking Spanish that I can sometimes understand, when I'm not being blown away by these amazing new dishes. It was too perfect to be spoiled by my camera, so I don't have photos of the pastel de atún (delicious tuna meatloaf) or the lentil soup or the ensalada de pimientos. But I can show you some of the other meals we enjoyed.

During our two days in London, we forewent the traditional bangers and mash in favor of more international cuisine. Thai, Indian, Moroccan. All quite satisfying. But my favorite meal there was the sweet potato quiche found at a quaint vegetarian restaurant called Food for Thought. Unless you count Guinness.

Because we stayed with Lindsay's wonderful uncle outside of London, we took advantage of the chance to cook together. Inspired by Lindsay's Korean classmates, we stopped in Chinatown for rice paper and had a little spring roll picnic in the living room. A lovely way to eat.

Once we got to Spain, I quickly realized how few preconceived notions I had about the country's cuisine. I knew paella and gazpacho, but was so pleasantly surprised by other dishes that I had no concept of. The beauty of the tapas culture is that I got to try so many things. In Granada, one can order a caña (a small glass of mediocre beer) for one or two euros and receive a tapa gratis (that's free). If one so chooses, one can hop from bar to bar ordering cañas and tapas all night. Another lovely way to eat, I'd say.

The best I can recall, clockwise from top right: jamon on little bagels with french fries, saucy mushrooms that made me want to lick the plate...with french fries, ensalada with the most wonderful olives on earth (and I don't even like olives!), and a dainty Spanish tortilla (omelette) with potatoes.

This next bit is more traditional Lindsay/Whitney cuisine than traditional Spanish, but we were delighted to find this little gem tucked among los bares de tapas. Smöoy frozen yogurt.

And it was confirmed that God was smiling right down upon us when we sat at a small table decorated with a large squash. We went twice in two days.

While Spaniards are pretty terrible at making sandwiches (my standards are high), they are adept at enjoying food and rest and family. I most certainly could have eaten a few more meals there. Who's with me?

With love.

Que bonita.

London, Swindon, Oxford, Birmingham, Malaga, Ronda, Granada, Madrid.

I'm still jet-lagged, still processing, but oh my goodness. Look at this goodness: 

(It shouldn't surprise you that I took lots of photos of food. I want to give la comida its due justice in a separate post.)

I am inexpressibly thankful that I got to see this part of the world and spend the week with Lindsay. The views and the people are beautiful, and we were well taken care of. I got to drive a British car, see the Globe Theatre, enjoy true siesta and speak Spanish. These experiences are always worth the jet lag.

With love.

Dream Life

I bought a plane ticket three weeks ago (after gaining approval/encouragement from the powers at Rybread). I tucked some clothes and a toothbrush into a small backpack and charged my camera.

Tonight I will get on a plane in Philadelphia and land six hours later in London. The opportunity to spend a week in places I've never been with one of my dearest friends is nothing short of miraculous. Lindsay and I have shared some powerful conversations, incredible experiences and delicious meals, including about a million veggie sandwiches at Global Cafe. I miss that place.

This friendship is straight-up sacred, and that makes me even more excited to share her temporary home in Ronda, Spain for a week and see what happens there. I am starting this trip with an overwhelming sense of thankfulness and God's sovereignty. Other than that, all I really know is that I will wear the same clothes over and over and eat a million tapas. I'll tell you about it when I get back. 



With love.

sweet potato black bean enchiladas + doing good

Two of the greatest and clearest blessings of this move are the churches I get to attend and the people I get to meet there. Every Sunday (unless I am traveling) I have nothing more pressing to do than go to two church services. If someone would have told my eight-year-old self that she would someday enjoy spending six hours every Sunday at church, she would have been incredulous. And then would have returned to the Little House on the Prairie that she brought to FPC to read during the sermon.

Not only do I love these churches -- Liberti Fairmount and Broad Street Ministry (pictured above) -- I want to give what I can to them. Over the years, some really inspiring people have taught me that giving comes in a lot more forms than money. Like time and talents. And food. And lately I have gotten some wonderful opportunities to cook for people.

Broad Street Ministry shares my philosophy that eating together is the best way to bond a community. They serve dinner every Sunday evening after the service to everyone there. A couple weeks ago, to celebrate completing a multi-million-dollar kitchen renovation, they held a huge early Thanksgiving dinner. Kelsey and I went to help the night before and cut 250+ slices of pie. They planned to feed 300 and ended up serving 586. It was like the fish and loaves. This church is doing amazing things and I love being a part of it.

Enter my humble enchiladas. The next week, one of the pastors asked if I'd like to cook dinner for a new small group that will discuss what it looks like to care for people we go to church with. I'll explain more when we figure out what that does look like. All I know is, when someone offers me an invitation like this, it is best if I say yes.

So I decided to make some experimental enchiladas for the people I hoped to befriend. I made some with sweet potatoes and some with chicken. By the grace of God, they turned out alright and I did make a few new friends. And my friends can bake. That is was a pumpkin carrot cake. Oh, yum.

I left the dinner party feeling pleasantly full of food and God's love only to find a note from the infamous Philly Parking Authority saying that I had been parked there too long and owed them money. This is why I ride a bike.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Makes 10

2-3 c. cooked sweet potatoes, cubed then smashed
1 can (4 oz.) green chilies
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. curry powder (or cumin)
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of one large lime
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
10 whole wheat tortillas
1 can (15 oz.) red or green enchilada sauce
Shredded pepper jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and find a baking dish to fit 10 enchiladas.

Combine the rinsed black beans with minced garlic, lime juice and a bit of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.

Peel, cube and cook the sweet potatoes (I ended up boiling them, but slightly roasting them would be good, if you have time). Smash the potatoes a little and combine with green chilies and spices.

Coat the bottom of the baking dish with enchilada sauce. Do some quick visual division and spoon about 1/10 of the sweet potatoes and 1/10 of the black beans down the center of a tortilla. No need to be perfect...it usually works out. Place seam-side down in the saucy dish and repeat until all 10 are tucked in there. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas are heated through.

Serve with a loving heart. It feels good.