Merry Christmas

This Christmas, I am extremely grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know he lived a perfect life, and that he was born over 2 millenia ago in a manger in Bethlehem.

I know he is my personal Savior. That he atoned for my sins and that he will plead with God the Father on my behalf for all of the pain, grief, sin and inadequacies that have ever been a part of my life.

I know he lives. I know that we can all come to know him. I have felt a special spirit this Christmas season as I have focused on drawing to him, and I am so grateful for the peace and joy I feel when I follow his example.

Merry Christmas, and may you find the peace, joy and comfort of our Savior this Christmas and through the new year.

Confessions

I may be in love with Justin Bieber. It may have started with his movie Never Say Never. You should see it.

I (somehow) came home with an xbox and kinect on black friday. Oops :)

I am wearing wool leg warmers to work today with a skirt. I mean, a girl is gonna freeze this winter without those. I tried taking them off when I got here to look more professional, which led to further freezing and they came right back on.

I secretly want to become a sharepoint developer/consultant. It is SUCH a useful tool that few people know how to really leverage. I wonder if MS lets you work part time from home.... ??? ha!

I asked Santa for blonde hair in kindergarten. Seriously. He didn't grant me that one.

Very little gets me as jazzed as solving a problem in excel. Or making beautiful powerpoints. No sarcasm here folks. I love MS tools.

I am trying to advert my addiction to cheese grits. I made this recipe from Pioneer Woman about a month ago and almost died of cheesy creamy deliciousness. You should try them if you think you handle it.

This is the first time in years I haven't work 2-3 jobs. Just one. It's great :)

Sometimes I buy things only for their cuteness. John always says..."Kristin, are you buying this just to take a picture of it?". I smile, because too frequently the answer is yes.



I may or may not have bought these candy cane-esque straws purely for cute factor. And this adorable masking tape.

I am a HORRID baker. Cooking... meh I am getting better. But me and baking... we don't fly. Requires using a timer and following the rules (or recipe). Not something I am good at in the kitchen. Some proof here in case I have ever fooled you.

I take on too much CONSTANTLY -- it is my achille's heel. Like trying to handmake these for each of your 10 nieces/nephews before Christmas. Chaos is all that can ever ensue.

What do you need to own up to?

Chicken Shawarma 3 Ways

I have developed a love for Mediterranean food since living in southeast Michigan, near the country's largest middle eastern population. One of my favorite treats is chicken shawarma. We used to eat all the time at a restaurant in town, now we make it at home pretty often. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine the spices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Rub the spice paste all over the chicken and season with salt. Arrange the chicken on a baking dish. Broil the chicken in the oven for 15 minutes, until the chicken is nearly cooked through. Turn off the broiler and turn down the oven to 425, bake the chicken for another10 minutes, or until done. Cut into strips or shred.

Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and whisk in the yogurt and lemon juice; season with salt. (When I make this into a salad I skip this step and just eat the yummy chicken sans sauce)





Serve it classic wrap style!
Wrap it up in a pita with cucumber, tzatziki sauce (I do a bit of sour cream, drop of vinegar + dill to make this), feta or goat cheese, and if you are on the wild side add pomegranate molasses.

Make it into a salad!
Add:
- Chickpeas
- Lemon Vinaigrette (apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil + salt & pepper)
- Goat or Feta Cheese
- Cucumber
- Romaine Lettuce

(I like putting everything together and then adding the chicken hot (melts the goat cheese and makes it generally very yummy!)


Make it into a salad wrap!
Take the salad from above and load into a pita.


Bon Appetit!

Menu Monday

Here are a few of the items we have eaten recently:

Turkey + Veggie Thai Soup. Taking some leftover turkey, chicken broth, classic chicken soup veggies (celery, onion, carrott), spaghetti noodles + Srirachi Sauce.

Spicy Pork Lettuce Wraps. YUM. Just fry up some ground pork, add a tad of sriarchi sauce and pair with lettuce. We added generous portions of mushrooms and zuchhini after cooking the meat and it was delicious. John made these.

Shawarma Salad This was a miraculous discovery of deliciousness, and a healthier twist on a recipe I already love (Chicken Shawarma Wraps). Posted the recipe here.


Beef & Barley Stew I make this in my dutch oven and slowly cook beef chunks with all of the classic veggies (carrot, celery, onion, garlic) and rosemary. I add barley towards the end to thicken it up. Is a yummy dish for when it is cold.

Tacos & Taco Salads Mexican food is pretty much a staple in our diet. Frequently we make it with veggies only (bell peppers, onions sauteed a bit) and add black beans or refried beans with lettuce for a salad (+salsa & cilantro). We also have been experimenting with whole wheat tortillas as well as cutting the cheese and sour cream to make it a bit healthier. We have found that as long as you have a flavorful enough salsa-- it is just delish!

We have also done a lot of entertaining lately to celebrate the holidays, I am planning on sharing some of our party recipes in another post. Yumminess includes meatballs, a jalapeno cheese ball, baked brie and a number of sweet tooth experiments.

What are you eating this week? Any recommendations on something yummy you have had lately?

How To Tell You Are a Winner on a Monday

Your colleague says hello to you as he walks to his desk. Then turns back and says..."Gosh, you look really tired for a Monday."

Later that morning, you walk back to your desk after talking to your boss. You start to sit in your roll-y chair and it actually tips over. You try to act totally cool and hope no one realized what the big sound was. But if they do, hopefully they realize how much serious skill it takes to tip a roll-y chair.

This is the same boss who saw you fall down a flight of stairs about a year ago. And the same team that had to catch you as you did a home base like slide on a puddle of water at a restaurant.

Yep. I'm a winner.
Happy Monday All.