Blogger Friend School Assignment #107 - Have It Your Way

Memory Verse: Isaiah 40: 1- Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

Intro: “Have It Your Way” (Burger King) - As cooler weather approaches and the winter eases into our doors I like to lounge by the fire after a hot shower. I love to make soups that are brimming with a rich and full flavor. In our home there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of soup or and a hot cup of coffee or cocoa on a cold winter night.

Assignment: Tell us all about how your have “your” relaxing time, more especially how during the cooler months you take time to curl up with your favorite movie, book, Bible study, and what your favorite warm drink would be.

My passport is ready for pick up. After 10 years my old one was filled with nearly 100 entry and exit stamps and visas, and two sets of additional pages because the old ones were filled. I'm incredibly thankful for all the opportunities we have had to travel, and to live in two fascinating countries outside our home culture.

Yet of all the places I've traveled, if I truly want to relax the best place anywhere is at my parent's house back in Rochester, MN. True, if I want to relax after a tough day a hot bath and a good book are a great thing, as is a cup of Russian Tea (I'll post the recipe below). But there's something about my parent's house that makes every care seem far away. Maybe it's because my parents are easy going people who open their home to others. Maybe it's because there are lots of cozy spots throughout the house, and always a book within reach (my parents gave me my love for books!). Maybe it's because their attention to my kids means I can relax knowing they're in good hands. All I know is that I feel the most comfortable there.

Alas, their house is 6,000 miles from mine. To my joy, in only about a month I will be relaxing there again while winter swirls around outside. We'll have fires in the fireplace and I'll play carols on the piano. We'll go outside and get chilly, and come back inside for hot cocoa. It'll be glorious.

But one thing all my travel has taught me is that even though I can experience great comfort here, it is not my home. C.S. Lewis said, "Our Father will refresh us with many pleasant inns on the journey, but he would not encourage us to mistake them for home." In heaven I will find my truest and deepest rest and comfort. So I guess I'm thankful that I retain this feeling of unrootedness that I've developed from living overseas.

Russian Tea

• 1/2 cup instant tea powder
• 2 cups orange-flavored drink mix (e.g. Tang)
• 3 ounces lemonade-flavor drink powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients together. Add 2-3T of the mix for each cup of hot water. I don't care much for tea, but I could drink this forever!

Blogger Friend School Assignment #106 - M'm M'm Good

Intro: M’m M’m Good (Campbell’s Soup)
The fall is such a wonderful time of year. The beautiful foliage and cool, crisp morning air is such a wonderful change from the hot summer. I also love the M’m M’m good smell of fall cooking and baking. The wonderful fall veggies, fruits and Thanksgiving foods.

Assignment: Post your favorite fall recipe/recipes to share. I love trying new recipes, do you? It can be baking, main dishes, veggies, dessert or anything else you can think of. There are no limits. Mmmmmm..I can’t wait to take a look at some of those recipes.

Fall . . . fall . . . nope, not ringing a bell. Wait, does it have something to do with changing your clocks? Or maybe something about leaves falling? Oh right, fall - that time of year when temperatures dip and the trees are ablaze with color. I used to love fall. I still do, but honestly I can't remember what it feels like. You see, I haven't experienced fall since 2003, before I moved to the land of perpetual summer. So while I would love to hunker down with a big bowl of soup, it's hard to want to do that when it's 90 degrees outside.

But this time next year, I will (barring any unforeseen circumstances) be enjoying some cooler temps again, and I'm looking forward to foods that warm my belly and put me to sleep. Back when I used to cook for this time of year (I did grow up in Minnesota, so I'm no stranger to it) my favorite thing to make was this:

Wild Rice Soup

2 can cream of potato soup

2 pints 1/2 and 1/2 (I cheated with low fat milk)

2 c. grated American cheese

5 slices bacon (can be omitted, but then it's just not as good!)

2-3 T. chopped onions

1 c. wild rice (uncooked)

Bake wild rice in 2 c. chicken broth for one hour. Brown bacon (crumble) and onion. Add all ingredients to rice and heat until cheese melts. Do not boil.

When we lived in China, I bought what I thought was wild rice at the store. I neglected to rinse it, and when I added the milk, I discovered the rice had a dark dye to it, so I had purple soup. I drained and rinsed the rice and tried again, but I still ended up serving slightly purple wild rice soup to all my friends that Christmas. Lesson learned: there is no substitute for Minnesota wild rice, especially not at a Chinese grocery store.

Sometimes, to remind me of fall, I put a pot of water on the stove, throw in cinnamon sticks and whole cloves, and let it simmer. I think I might go do that right now! All this talk of fall has made me nostalgic.

I'm excited to see all the recipes people post and store them up for the future!