The Leaky Faucet

Proverbs 19:13
A foolish son is the calamity of his father: 
and the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping.


No one likes a dripping faucet, it ranks right up there with nails along a chalk board and a whiny child, however the Bible describes me as a "constant dripping" when I have contentions. I wasn't sure what contentions were so I looked them up...according to Webster's Dictionary contentions are "something (such as a belief, opinion, or idea) that is argued or stated". Well, I've never considered myself a quarrelsome or contentious wife however I definitely argue and almost always state my beliefs and opinions when they disagree with my husband. So I asked myself the question "What do I say/do that reminds Josh of a dripping faucet?" 


Please Lord, forgive me and please Josh forgive me for being contentious and unknowingly making you listen to my faucet that was a constant dripping. Lord, help me to continue to learn to bridle my tongue. 

Cat's Gluten Free oatmeal cookies

This recipe is based around one of my favorite Australian biscuits (that's what we can cookies in Australia), THE ANZAC BISCUIT! It is an Australian classic and whenever I have made them for friends they are a huge hit. I wanted to see if I coudl replicate it in a way that i could still eat it and it was "somewhat" healthy. In this recipe I substitute regular white flour for Arrowhead Mills Gluten free All Purpose baking mix and butter for Earths best (canola spread). You could try using apple sauce instead of butter and to use less sugar.

1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of gluten free rolled oats
1/4 cup (4oz) of melted butter (or Earths Best spread)
1 cup of shredded coconut
1 cup of Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All Purpose baking mix
1 level teaspoon of baking soda
2 tablespoons of boiling water
1 tablespoon of Maple Syrup (In Australia we use something called Golden Syrup that you cannot get here sadly : ( )
1/2 cup of cranberries, dried cherries or raisins
1/2 cup of slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix all dry ingredients together. Pour in melted butter.
Add baking soda and maple (or golden) syrup to boiling water and mix well. Add that to remaining ingredients and mix together. Drop in small rounds (make sure you have enough space between each cookie as they will spread) on greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20mins until golden brown.

Enjoy!

GRATITUDE

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

I just love that quote. So true. I wanted to share it with you all today. You have all added to my life in more ways than I could ever express.
Gratitude
Love
Peace to you.... today and always

Cat's salad dressing formula

We eat a lot of salad in our house. I have experimented a lot with salad dressing and have been asked by several friends how I make my dressing. It is different every time and varies on what i have on hand. Just wanted to give you a few tips on how to make a delicious salad dressing with a simple formula that i use.

Choose your vinegar or citrus

Vinegars I always have on hand are White wine, Red Wine, Sherry vinegar, Rice wine vinegar and Balsamic.

There are so many vinegars to choose from. Infused vinegars make beautiful bases for dressings.

Choose an oil

I most often use extra virgin olive oil.

Other choices would be grape seed oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil and sunflower oil

Add a base flavor

Garlic or shallots

Binding it together

Dijon Mustard

(I have used other mustard's or horseradish if i don't have Dijon on hand)

Egg yolk

Avocado

Vegannaise or mayonnaise

Soft cheese such as goat cheese or blue cheese

Herbs

You can add herbs to infuse more flavor. Fresh herbs are always great, but i have used dry too.

Basil, marjoram, oregano, dill

Adjust the acidity

A little sweetness cuts the tartness of the vinegar or citrus

I use Agave nectar, honey, brown sugar or Apricot preserve.

I always make my dressings as guess-timates.I like my dressing less oily so i would guess I do about 1/2 cup vinegar to 1/4 cup oil (or maybe a little less)

All the other ingredients I do by tasting as I go.

When you are cutting the acidity with a sweetness such a apricot preserve, I use about 1 Tblspn.

REMEMBER....

-Trial and error makes a good chef.

-Always taste test as you go

-Don't be afraid to make mistakes. That is always how we learn the most.

-I have thrown MANY dressings away before I got it right.

Arugula with Fennel Salad

This is a great salad for the summer. Very refreshing. Fennel is so good for you. It is high in Iron and has also been proven to aid in digestion. It normally has quite a strong anise flavor but in the recipe you soak it in the dressing and it takes some of the bitterness away and just provides a crisp, freshness in contrast to the peppery flavor of the arugula.

Ingredients
Arugula
Red seedless grapes
Goat cheese (or Gorgonzola cheese)
1 fennel bulb ( green removed and sliced into 1/4 inch slices)

Dressing
1/4 cup White wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Apricot preserve
1/2 shallot (chopped very fine)
1/2 cup of Olive oil
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Whisk dressing together. Place sliced fennel in the dressing and let sit for at least 30 mins.

Mean while, slice grapes in half lengthwise. Toss greens, grapes and cheese together. After the fennel has marinated for at least 30 mins add fennel and dressing. Adjust how much dressing you add by how much dressing you prefer. you don't want to drench the greens or it will take away the crispness of the salad.

Let go, let God

I am reminded how much fear disables us from reaching our full potential.
I taught my first Pilates group class tonight.
I was really nervous leading up to it.
Before I started I said a prayer that I would focus on giving these people in the class what they needed and get the focus of me. I ended up really enjoying the experience of giving back and it was fun. I didn't allow fear and self judgement to get in the way of doing my job.