Carrot Cake Scrambled Eggs

Do you know what American churches don't do enough in my opinion?

DANCE.

The kiddos get to dance. Why don't the adults dance too?

I was a counselor for my church's kid's camp and had a BLAST dancing to music which praised Jesus. It's incredibly natural. David danced. And it's in many of our contemporary worship music lyrics (which we often sing with stoic stances and expressionless faces on Sunday mornings).

I don't have much more to say about that :) So...dance for Jesus!

So I'm becoming a big fan of these "sweet scrambled eggs". Nothing like having your favorite desserts inspire a healthy breakfast. Delicious! This time, carrot cake was my inspiration. And I was quite pleased with the outcome.

Carrot Cake Scrambled Eggs

for one serving:
1 carrot, shredded
1 egg
1/4-1/2 banana (mashedish)
pinch cinnamon
1/8 tsp vanilla
1/8 c almonds (or walnuts, pecans, etc.)

Chop/blend the carrot and almonds significantly (I put this in a mini-food chopper, but it's not necessary). Then combine all ingredients (except frosting ingredients) and whisk together. Scramble as you would any eggs!

"frosting":
1/8 c greek yogurt (plain whole milk)
1 tsp brown sugar
vanilla

Stir together frosting ingredients and spoon onto warm eggs. Enjoy!

Daring Baker's June Challenge: Pie

Rachael from pizzarossa hosted this month's Daring Baker's Challenge (my first challenge!) and gave us an excellent assortment of pies to pick from and bake. I'm not sure why I did it, but I believe I chose the most unhealthy option. Silly me. 

This crack pie (from Momofuku Milk Bar) is a dangerous thing. I believe this one was stretched...pretty thin. I mean, it provided PLENTY of servings.

The truth is, it was addicting and delicious. But there was something about it that didn't call me back for more as much as other desserts do.

I'm not sure I'll make it again.

However, if you're looking for a fun new pie to try and you love the idea of pecan pie but you lack pecans or are allergic to nuts, I think this could be the pie for you.

Don't get me wrong, it's great. So tasty. But for me, the unhealthy factor was a bit too overwhelming.

It was a lot of effort to not change a single thing, but I followed the recipe precisely. Someday perhaps I'll try a healthier version. We'll see!

It is fun to make. I'm very excited to be posting my first Daring Kitchen Challenge.

Next time, if there's options, I'll try to pick the healthy one so I can enjoy it more!

Crack pie

Servings:12
Preparation time: 20 + 20 minutes
Baking time: 18 + 50 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour + 2 hours, approx.
Chilling time: overnight

Ingredients

Oat Cookie Crust

9 tablespoons (1 stick + 1 tbsp) (135 ml) (4½ oz) (125g) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided (6 & 3 tbsp; 85gm & 40gm)

5 1/2 tablespoons (85 ml)(2½ oz) (70 gm) (packed) light brown sugar, divided (4 & 1½ tbsp; 50 gm & 20 gm)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (30 gm) (1 oz) white sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210 ml) (80 gm) (2¾ oz) old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup (120 ml) (2½ oz) (70 gm) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 gm) baking powder
1/8 teaspoon (2/3 gm) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (1½ gm) salt

Filling

3/4 cup (160 ml) (170 gm) (6 oz) white sugar

1/2 cup (packed) (120 ml) (100 gm) (3½ oz) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8 gm) (¼ oz) dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon (1½ gm) salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) (120mlk) (4 oz) (115gm) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons (100ml) heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Oat Cookie Crust

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. Line a 13x9x2 inch/33x22x5cm metal baking pan with parchment (baking) paper. Lightly spray or butter a 9 inch/22cm diameter glass or ceramic pie dish.

2. Combine 6 tablespoons (85 gm) of the softened butter, 4 tablespoons (50 gm) of the brown sugar and the white sugar in medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

3. Add egg and beat until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.

4. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute.

5. Dump oat mixture into prepared baking pan and press out evenly to edges of pan.

6. Bake until light golden, 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to wire rack and cool cookie completely, about an hour.

7. Using your fingertips, crumble the cookie a into large bowl - there should be no identifiable pieces of cookie remaining. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons (45 gm) butter and 1-1/2 tablespoons (20 gm) brown sugar. Rub in with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and sticks together when pressed between your fingers.

8. Transfer cookie crust mixture to pie dish. Using your fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish (about 1 inch/2.5cm up the sides if your pie dish is deep). If your pie dish is shallow, place it on a baking sheet in case of overflow.

Filling

1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to moderate 350°F/180°C/gas mark 4. If possible, use bottom-only heat, or the filling may brown too quickly.

2. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. Add melted butter and whisk until blended.

4. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended.

5. Pour filling into crust.

6. Bake 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble up). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F/160°C/gas mark 3. Continue to bake until filling is brown on top and set around edges but center still jiggles slightly, about 20 minutes longer.

7. Cool pie completely in pie dish on wire rack. Chill uncovered overnight.

8. Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into thin wedges and serve cold.

Tuna Burger and Dreams

I don't believe anything happens without a reason.

It's actually a pretty big thing to believe. That means when I stub my toe, it happened for a reason. That means that when I see someone biking on the side of the road, there's a reason I noticed them. I don't believe in coincidence.

So this means there's a couple of things that I take more seriously than the average person.

One of those things is dreams. Because I don't believe they are random neural bursts.

I'm not saying that every single time I have a dream I think it's some sort of a sign or prophecy.

Ha, if that were true, I'd be married to at least 4 different guys (probably more) and have a couple kids. If that were true, at some point in my future, I will get chased by a black spider the size of a compact-car. Just think about if it was true of your dreams!

But if I have a dream and I remember it, there's a reason. It means something about it is important, whether it's important because it is bothering or worrying me or if it is actually a warning or sign of what might happen in the future.

To a certain extent, we are in control of our dreams.

If we do something wrong in our dreams, then, what does it mean? Does it mean we are at fault? Well, it won't hurt anyone. Except you.

A little over a year ago, I gave up sweets for Lent (I'm actually not Catholic; this is the only time I have given something up for Lent).

It was kind of a big deal. I didn't realize how much I idolized food until I tried to stop eating sweets. And I did give them up successfully. Sort of. I followed the rules that I made for myself all 40 days. It was the nights that I struggled. In my sleep.

I woke up one morning during Lent so upset because in my dream, I had caved in and eaten a couple M&M's. Big deal? Not really. But I felt unbearably guilty.

It happened two more times. The next time was pie or cheesecake or something much better than M&M's, but I woke up feeling the same: so concerned that I'd messed up.

First, this shows that I can be a bit of a legalist. I set these no-sweets rules for myself and if I had "broken them", it really would not have mattered. But of course, it would've mattered immensely to me. I would've drowned myself in guilt, and yada-yada-yada. Not the point.

Most importantly, this showed that I was still idolizing food. Dreaming about eating cheesecake? I mean it's good, but...come on. God's better, right? RIGHT? Sometimes I'm pretty sure I don't believe that He is.

Idolatry--it's sickness.

Dreams like this also happen when I'm trying not to idolize guys. I can get really hung up on a guy and dream about him fairly often.

I used to think I didn't have control over my dreams, so I didn't have to worry about all of the emotional lust that was involved in them. I've dated SO MANY guys in my dreams. And I used to tell myself that was ok.

No, if I was married, that would be a bad thing. If I was a wife, I wouldn't want my husband to wake up every morning having dreamed about some other woman. That'd be...sad.

Why would I be "off the hook" for lusting, as long as I was doing it while I was sleeping? That doesn't make sense. I mean, at times dreams feel so real, I might as well be awake.

I believe dreams can sometimes reveal the dirt in our hearts. The dirt that doesn't seem all that filthy when we try to cover it up. The kind that we really enjoy secretly, but we know we should not allow our awake minds to focus on. Then we have a nice little lustful dream and giggle to our friends, convincing ourselves that we can't control it.

Sometimes these dreams stay with me all day long. 

Honestly, who wants to dream about someone else's boyfriend/husband one night and then not stop thinking about him all day long because you keep remembering what it felt like when he held you like he did in your dream? That's sick.

Our dreams are our own responsibility. They happen for a reason.

Does all that talking about dreams make you want to make some tuna burgers?

I thought so. Well I've got a recipe for you.

One Serving Tuna Burger

This recipe is adapted from http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/25/lemon-garlic-tuna-burgers/ (I suggest using her recipe if you want to make it for 4 servings!)

Ingredients:
2 oz canned tuna
1/8 c panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tbs chopped, sautéed white onion
2 tsp fresh parsley
small clove of garlic, minced
~1 tsp lemon juice
2 heaping tsp sour cream
1 tbs egg (or egg substitute)
salt & pepper

Combine all ingredients to make a patty.

Let set for 5-10 minutes.

I cooked mine in a skillet with a lid for about 10 minutes (5 on each side) on medium heat. The inside probably could've been a bit more done so make sure the skillet isn't too hot. Make sure you let it set for 10 minutes before cooking on a skillet, and warm up the patty along with the skillet (i.e. don't "preheat" skillet).

If you want to turn on the oven for this (I recommend this method if you're making the recipe for more than 1 serving), preheat to 400 and bake for about 20 minutes.

Recipe for the sauce will come later. (It will be a while, don't hold your breath.)

Garlic Basil Changua (Egg & Milk Soup)

So I've heard that in foreign countries, hot food and soup are served just as often on hot days and cold days. Apparently it has something to do with the body's temperature regulation.

What do I know? I tend to crave a smoothie and cold cut sandwich when it's 90+ degrees out. As far as I know, my body temperature is still 98.6 ;)

But then again, there's something about steaming hot food that just satisfies, no matter what the temperature.

Today, as the temperatures are rising, I decided soup would be a good option.

I chose a breakfast soup. From Columbia I believe. I have to admit, I have a really hard time following a recipe. So yes, I changed a few things up. Partly because I wanted to use what I had in the cupboards! Also, I wanted to experiment. I think it's worth a try. It's pretty tasty if I may say so myself.

Mine looks thin and funny. This is because I didn't add enough milk, and I used skim milk. The recipe given has been improved. It will look/taste better if made according to the recipe below!

Garlic Basil Changua

Ingredients for one serving:
1 cup of milk (2% or whole would be best)
1 cup of water
1 clove of garlic (use a garlic press if possible or just mince)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste (don't be shy on the salt--most of us are used to salty soup)
2 basil leaves, chopped
1 tsp parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped tomato

Heat milk and water, then add garlic and salt. Simmer approximately 10 minutes. Add tomato and onion powder, then carefully add egg (don't break the yoke!).
When the egg is done, pour into bowl and top with remaining ingredients: pepper, basil, and parmesan.
Enjoy with toast or croutons!

Note:
-I was very tempted to get even farther from the original "changua" concept and scramble the egg to make it egg-drop milk soup. This would be a good thing, since I felt I had to eat the soup and egg separately. I wanted egg in every bite. Next time I make this, I will probably try egg-drop style.

Cookies and Cream Scones with Mint Glaze

My sister's birthday was last week. To celebrate, I wanted to bake her something!

She has always loved cookies and cream ice cream. But recently she's been into mint cookies and cream ice cream (I think it's Beyer's Grasshopper Pie or something to that effect).

So I thought I'd make her some scones inspired by her favorite ice cream flavor!

So I'm not going to post the recipe for the scones. Because you can find it here: http://bakingbites.com/2010/08/cookies-n-cream-scones/

The only thing I changed was that I subbed some of the white flour for whole wheat flour, and they turned out great!

I also added glaze on top. It's not necessary for tasty scones, but it was delightful this way.

Mint Glaze

Ingredients:
1-2 tbs milk
powdered sugar
peppermint extract

optional-green food color (see note)

So I just make glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and milk until I feel it's at the consistency that I want it. Just as a reminder, a little milk goes a long way when making frosting! Also, it does not need much peppermint extract. I think I used about 1/8 of a teaspoon or less. It can be very strong, but it really depends on how much glaze you're making. Just taste it after adding a little and see if it needs more!

Notes:
- I attempted giving my frosting a slightly green tint by soaking spinach in the milk I was using. The frosting did have a tint of it, but you couldn't tell once it was on the scone. Anyway, it shouldn't take much food coloring, and I think next time I would try harder to make the spinach work--adding more or something!
-What's shown is a 1/2 recipe and I cut it into 6ths, but I believe the recipe called for 4ths. These were plenty big for a normal size--definitely not "mini" scones.

Blue-green Scrambled Eggs

I was listening to some "Christian" radio yesterday. I do most days. I'm not one of those people who thinks "Christian music" is the only music that should be listened to. (I'm even putting quotes around it, because the word Christian shouldn't be an adjective, in my opinion, it should be a noun, a person!)

But some of those songs have great lyrics. They are lyrics which really are worshiping the one true God for all that He does, has done, and will do. Not all of the songs, but a good amount of them.

I'm not sure what's worse though: singing along mindlessly to a song which praises and worships the King of Kings, or singing along mindlessly with a song which blatantly puts people down and includes degrading lies. Either way, you might be completely checked out.

Perhaps there is not a "worse" in this situation. Like most things, it might be two wrong areas that we don't want to be in. One side of the spectrum is a bad idea, and the other side is also bad!

It would be good to try to be somewhere...in the middle. Listening to either, but making sure that I don't sing along unless I mean it, and making sure that if I mean it, it is good stuff to be saying.

Hopefully that made sense.

Again...no transition...

Blue green is actually a main color in a lot of languages. Some languages only have 3 color words, or 4. And actually blue-green is kind of common. So these eggs would definitely be describable in most languages of the world. Fun stuff.

Super easy recipe coming up here...

Bleen (blue-green) Eggs

Ingredients (for one or two servings)
1/3 c of slightly thawed frozen blueberries
2 eggs
2 tbs of mashed banana
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

Scramble eggs and mashed banana. Add remaining ingredients. Then cook in frying pan as you would any normal scrambled eggs. Woot woot! Done.

Enjoy!

Notes:
-as you can tell from the pictures, I put some blueberry jam on toast and enjoyed the combination.
-I might recommend a little sugar if you like it sweeter (that's why I had it with jam). I'm sure it'd be great with a little powdered sugar sprinkled on top!
-I thought these eggs were going to be green...like the Dr. Suess story. Pfft. Sillyness. If you're looking for a natural way to make green eggs to go with your ham (without adding food coloring) try adding just 1 or 2 blueberries...or pureeing them and adding a tsp!

A God Story and Blueberry Cream Soda

I've decided that I'm going to record some things God's been teaching me with these recipes. Will it have anything to do with the recipes? Probably not. But that's what I'm doing. Because...why not?

So God kind of gave me a wake up call today. I was going to read the Bible, probably something in the New Testament. But I haven't completed the Old Testament that I started over a year ago.

I felt kind of bad about it. Then I started thinking about how fast I had read through the first 1/2 of the reading plan last year, and how excited I was. The goal of reading the whole Bible seemed...accomplishable for the first time in my life! And that's pretty sweet. 

However, I slowed down a lot this past semester of college and lost interest quite a bit in some of the Old Testament books. One that seemed to drag on in particular was Ezekiel. And really, it's not the least exciting book. It just felt...so...long....

Then I started thinking about how much Satan must not want us to read the Bible. Is it a requirement? No, it's not. But is it a good idea? Yes! Is it awesome? Yes! And from what I've heard of the devil...he's not a big fan of awesome, good ideas.

So of course he's going to be all over people who try to read through the Bible. Pfft. No wonder it's so hard sometimes.

Whenever I think of Satan using little tactics to deceive me, I get this weird...determination. I think to myself, "Oh, I see what you did there. You got me that time. But, ha. I figured you out. Me and Jesus (mainly Jesus), we're going to overcome your silly deceit. You can't fool Him. And I'm with Him."

By the way, I don't know how I feel about "taunting" the devil, but I've done it before. Basically I told him he had no power over me, so he could do his worst, which is completely true. But it ended up being one of the hardest days of my life. Out of it came my most embarrassing moment (it involved me looking like I peed my pants), and a few other difficult moments.

Anyway, I realized that Ezekiel's "dullness" was mostly created by me. I wasn't reading with a willing and thirsting heart. So I was thinking, "Stupid Caitlin. Who sparks interest in the Bible within me?" I knew the answer. I'm not the one who makes sweet revelations...He is. So He needs to help me out on this Bible-reading thing. (Duh.)

I prayed that He would give me interest, teaching me something new, and help me get through just one chapter of Ezekiel without being bored. So I read the chapter. Nothing special. 

Then I realized I only had 2 chapters left. So I decided one more couldn't hurt. There's a sign: it must've been interesting enough for me to continue. 

Continue I did. And I happened upon a Holy Spirit-given connection to one of my favorite analogies! In Ezekiel, I believe it makes reference to what Jesus later says to His disciples: they are fishers of men! It talks about fish and fruit and healing and nets. And I always thought Jesus was pulling that fishers of men thing out of thin air. Not so.

God is so cool.

No transition :)

Blueberry Cream Soda

ingredients for one serving:
1/3 c blueberries
2 tbs sugar
1/3 c water
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz chilled club soda

Puree blueberries in a blender or chop/mush them throughly. Make simple syrup by bringing water, sugar, and pureed blueberries to a boil. Let boil for 5 minutes. Take off heat, add vanilla, and let cool.

When syrup is cool, add to club soda with ice. Enjoy!