Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. Five Minute Friday is a great place to hone my writing practice and be encouraged by other writers as I write. I will set the timer for five minutes and then write. Here we go! I am excited to invite you in, welcome.
Daisy
Gathering Together Invites You to Witness Beauty
The way the flour gathers on the island, or perches on the four year old's lashes catches you by surprise-had it always looked like that? I have been experiencing moments like this more often, as I lead my soul to see the beauty strewn around just for my delight. Cookie baking becoming a time of diaphanous beauty, one in which I encounter His kingdom breaking in to the very mundane moments of my life.
Simple gatherings lead to simply paying attention to our lives. It is the richness of the people we have in our lives and how their presence imprints on us the joy of community. This leads us to reflect on the generations before us and how their creativity and desire to lead their family to beauty created beautiful traditions. This week on the blog by friend Courtney is sharing with us her grandmother's butter cookie recipe, but more importantly the togetherness it brings as her and her daughters carry on the tradition too!
I can not wait to try her recipe with my daughters, giving them part in a legacy of love and simplicity. Creating together is a simple way of inviting others to gather adding eternal beauty to the mundane everyday moments. Go over to the last blog post and read more about how Courtney has found this to be true with her family with invitation for your family to join in!
Holiday Traditions Bind our Hearts for Generations
Welcome, your place is ready. Sit down. Breath. Feel your soul exhale as you wrap your hands around a warm cup of tea and a story. The stories shared here are the perfect mix of encouragement and practical. These writers want to share a bit of their heart with you so that gathering at the table is seen in the right light. Gathering together is how we are wired. Gathering at the table is how we are formed and known. Praying for you, that as you read your soul will fill its worth, He is waiting for you at Table, come.
Daisy
I come by it honestly, my love for creating a cozy and beautiful home, a space that you want to gather with those you love. That is true of me throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. My mom always had a way of making Christmas feel magical and special, and that had a lot to do with the family traditions that she and my dad created for my brothers and I, and it’s something that I love having the opportunity to do as mom to my three little girls. The twinkling lights throughout the house, a tree in (almost!) every room, and my ever growing collection of vintage Santa’s add to the fun, but it is the little traditions that really make it feel extra special year after year.
Central to my memories of holiday gathering’s growing up involves a lot of flour, butter, and yummy things baking in the oven. From pies, to cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning, my mom’s delicious turtle bars, and chocolate fudge, we love making our favorite sweet treats each year. But the one that most certainly stands out the most in my memory, and will hopefully continue for generations to come, are my Grandma Perkin’s Butter Cookies. I have the sweetest memory of calling my Grandma on the phone when I was home from college one year because I couldn’t find her recipe and she of course was ready and willing to share. I still have the scrap of paper that I wrote it down on and I tear up every year when I pull it out of the recipe box.
Three Generations of women gathering together in their kitchen, creating holiday traditions.
Now, the recipe is of course a necessary component, but it is the cookie cutter itself that is central to the story. I didn’t know until a couple of years ago, that the tradition started when my mom was a little girl, and my Grandma baked Santa Cookies (as we call them) for my mom’s 1st grade (December) birthday party at school. From that point on they became a yearly favorite for my mom and grandmother and now for me and my girls. Being the avid thrifter and antiquer that I am, I always have my eye out for that one special Santa cookie cutter that we have used for decades. My mom’s sister Janet, and her kids have one, as do my brothers and their kiddos, and my girls and I cherish ours. I have collected 10 or more over the years, and as we were growing our families we tried to make sure each new addition has one as well.
As soon as my girls were old enough to help, they have been helping me roll out and decorate these cookies (he must have a red hat and a white beard) and it is a tradition I hope that they will remember and share with their children someday.
4.*optional* You can chill the dough for 30 minutes before you roll them out to make the dough easier to work with.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees
6. Roll out and cut with cookie cutters of your choice (but we of course recommend Santa!)
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes
8. While the cookies cool make the vanilla buttercream
9. Mix all butter cream ingredients in the mixing bowl and whip until creamy!
Once cool decorate and Enjoy!
The Tenderness of a Holiday Tradition
I’ve so enjoyed taking the time to think through this holiday tradition that is so near and dear to my heart, and thank Daisy for inviting me to share it with you! I hope that you will make your own batch of Grandma Perkins’ Butter Cookies as you share the season with those you love. Because in our house, it doesn’t *truly* feel like Christmas until we’ve had our first bite of Santa Cookie.
Courtney is a fair trade stylist and storyteller who has a deep love for thrifting, travel, photography, and motherhood. She thrifts and bakes in St. Louis but her wanderlust heart is alway thinking of her next travel adventure.
Sometimes a food will bring up nostalgic feelings, this salad always takes me back to a golden time in my life. A time of discovery, growing up, and lingering in the what could be. I loved sitting around Aunt Linda’s island chatting about school, she would check on our hearts, and together we wondered and dreamt about the future. Does food do that to you? I’d love it if you shared!
Today, I give you a snack that could also be used for lunch! Serve it over a bed of greens or on a veggie board along with humus and crackers. I hope you try it and then tuck it in to your go to recipes. You are going to love how it comes together quick and easy!
Ingredients:
12 oz shredded chicken (1 can) 2 green apples diced 1cup of raw almonds 1/4 cup mayo 1/2 tbsp of dry dill salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
2. mix all ingredients in a large bowl
3. Serve and enjoy!
4. Can be refrigerated for a day or so, may dry out but just add a bit of mayo to moisten!
La Ensalada de Pollo de Tia Linda
Ingredientes:
12 oz de carne pollo desebrada (una lata) 2 manzanas verde cortadas en cubitos 1 taza de almendras crudas 1/4 taza de mayonesa 1/2 tbsp de eneldo seco (dry dill) sal y pimiento al sabor preferid
Instruciones
1. Comienza recogiendo todos los ingredientes
2. agrega los ingredientes a un tazón y mezcla
3. listo! sirve y disfruta!
4. puedes guardar la ensalada en la refrigeradora por un día, si se seca le puedes añadir un poco de mayonesa!
Buen provecho,
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These ham and egg cups have a way of making me feel prepared. Don’t you need that on Monday mornings, to just feel prepared? I sure do, so I wanted to share this little recipe with you. These ham and egg cups are simple and yet full of possibilities. Just try them and see for yourself! (p.s. let me know if you do!)
So, here goes a super easy one.
Ingredients
12 pieces of Ham (I love Applegate slow cooked Ham) 12 eggs Salt and pepper to taste Herbs de Provence about a teaspoon Oil spray bottle
Supplies
a muffin tin
Instructions
1. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
3. Prep the muffin tin by spraying it with the oil
4. Place the ham in each muffin tin space forming a pocket
5. Fill the ham pocket with the egg
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste
7. Sprinkle with Herbs de Provence
8. Spray the eggs with oil and place it in the oven
9. Cook for about 20 minutes
10. Serve warm and enjoy
Notas
They can also be stored in an air tight container for a week they reheat beautifully!
Take care to start with less salt if you are not using Applegate ham, I have found other brands of ham are more salty.
1. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
2. Dice onion and tomatoes and add it to the bowl
3. Halve avocados lengthwise removing the pits and set them aside for later. You can remove the pits easily by squeezing the avocado half gingerly until the seed pops out.
4. With a spoon scoop out the flesh of the avocado and place into bowl with a fork mash the avocados to chunky consistency. Add the lime juice directly on the mashed avocados then add it to the bowl with the other veggies.
5. Chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl
6. Add the spices and stir until well combined
7. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and taste. Then decide if you want to add more salt until you it is to your liking. Stir again adding the pits to help it stay fresh-then serve!
This salad reminds me of laughter and cool breezes while dining al fresco in Greece. My family and I traveled there during my college years and the texture and unbelievable flavor of the food has never left me. Another thing I remember is how the table was central to everyday life; people gathered, they shared good food, and lingered over heart connections.
I invite you to gather your community, set the table, and enjoy deep Christ centered conversation together. This salad will help you do it easily and without much fuss. You can grill some chicken and use this salad as a side dish and Listo! you have a healthy meal to share!
Ingredients
1 medium sized glass jar or food storage container 1 small red onion (or a half of a large red onion) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt 1/4 tsp cumin
1 cup of pearl couscous /(I used a tri-color Israeli toasted one)/
2 cups of cherry tomatoes /cut in half/
1 English cucumber /cubed into medium sized cubes/
1 can of garbanzo beans /drained and rinsed/
1/2 red onion /thinly sliced/
1 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup of fresh parsley /chopped/
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
For the vinaigrette
1/4 cup of olive oil + one tablespoon to cut the tartness after you mix the ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 lemon /juiced/
2 cloves of garlic /minced/
1stp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
2. Thinly slice the red onion and put them aside
3. Take a quart sized pan and fill it with water, add salt and a splash of olive oil. (This step is flexible. Cook the couscous like you would cook pasta or follow the instructions on the package.)
4. Bring the water to a boil and then add the couscous simmer on medium until the couscous is “al dente,” not hard but not too soft. about 8-10 minutes. Then drain the couscous, rinse under cold water, and set in the refrigerator to chill.
5. While the couscous is cooking, finish chopping the rest of the vegetables. (Keep your eye on the stove, anytime I cook pasta inevitably the water boils over.)
6. While the couscous chills, mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until well blended. Taste to check the tartness and flavor. You may need to add the leftover olive oil or more salt and pepper.
7. In a salad bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, feta, cucumbers, red onions, and parsley. Then add the chilled couscous.
8. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to meld.
Deliciosa ensalada de cuscús
Ingredientes:
1 taza de cuscús de perla (yo use un cuscús de tres-colores)
2 tazas de tomates cherry cortados por mitad
1 un pepino cortado en cubitos medianos
1 una lata de garbanzo escurridos y enjuagados
1/2 una cebolla roja picada bien delgadita
1 taza de queso feta
1/4 taza de perejil picado
1/4 cucharadita de comino
1/4 cucharadita pimienta molida
1/2 cucharadita de sal
Para la vinagreta
1/4 taza de aceite de oliva + una cucharada para cortar la acidez después de mezclar los ingredientes
1/4 taza de vinagre de vino tinto
El zumo de un limón
2 dientes de ajo picados
1 cucharadita de orégano seco
sal y pimienta a sabor
Instruciones
1. Comienza recogiendo todos los ingredientes
2. Toma la cebolla y córtalas en rebanadas finas
3. Cocina el cuscús siguiendo las instrucciones del paquete, cuando el cuscús esté al dente, escurrirlo, enjuagarlo en agua helada, y ponerlo en la refri para que se enfríe.
4. Mientras el cuscús se cocina termina de cortar el resto de los vegetales.
6. Mientras el cuscús se enfría, mezcla la vinagreta en un frasco y agítalo vigorosamente hasta que esté bien mezclado. Pruébala para ver cómo está de ácido, podría ser que tengas que añadir más aceite de oliva o sal y pimienta.
7. En una ensaladera, combina los tomates, garbanzos,queso feta, pepinos,cebollas rojas, y perejil. Después agrega el cuscús frío.
8. Sirve inmediatamente o ponlo en la refri un par de horas para que los sabores se mezclen.
take your power bowls and salads to the next level
Cebollas Rojas Encurtidas.
One of my fondest memories growing up in Honduras was spending time cooking with my aunt. She cooked outside on a mud stove that she herself remuded and took care of every day. She always had a pot of beans on the stove and mounds of tortillas handmade everyday. All of her delicious food was garnished with one kind or another with encurtido. On my travels to the Caribbean I rediscovered this childhood favorite and vowed to figure out how to make it at home! I asked my mom to give me her recipe because in Texas we kept a Texas-sized jar of vegetable encurtido on the kitchen counter too! Sabroso! As I’ve played around with my mom’s recipe my favorite encurtido to make is an easy pickled red onion recipe.
The total time for this recipe from prep to table is 20 minutes to 1 hour depending how long you want to let it marinade before you use it. I make small batches so I use either a half of a large red onion or a small red onion and that makes about 8 servings. Each serving is about 1/2 a table spoon.
Ingredients
1 medium sized glass jar or food storage container 1 small red onion (or a half of a large red onion) 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt 1/4 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp ground black pepper + 6 or so whole kernels of peppers 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space
Thinly slice the red onion and put them aside
take the glass jar and and mix together the remaining ingredients
add the onions and stir well. If you are using a jar you can give it a little shake
Listo! let it sit for at least 10 minutes before you use it.
Now garnish any meal especially a breakfast with a sunny side up egg!
Notas
*Making this recipe should feel very comfortable and organic for you. Do not hesitate to add more of any of the ingredients to make it to your taste. *Sometimes my slicing is not equal and uniform and that’s ok! The sharper your knife the better your slicing technique will be. *When I don’t have oregano I substitute Herbs de Provence instead-you will love this herb blend! *if you would like to submerge your onions completely you can add a bit more of vinegar or even olive oil.
Make this recipe and make your life deliciously simple.
These crispy carnitas will not only become your favorite meal but they will also make your life easier! You can make a double batch and they will help meal planning for the week easy peasy. You’re welcome!
Ingredients
Rub:
1 table spoon of dried oregano
2 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp ground chipotle (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 table spoon of Olive Oil, Avocado oil, or ghee
Crockpot or Dutch oven of pork shoulder:
about 3 lbs of pork shoulder, butt, or tenderloin
3-4 garlic cloves minced
1 onion chopped
2 bay leaves
about 5 peppercorns
Juice of one orange
juice of one lime
For Serving
1 table spoon of Olive Oil, Avocado oil, or ghee
cilantro
lime wedges
salsa
avocados
tortillas*
rice*
Cotija Cheese*
cauliflower rice
pickled red onion
a greens blend
Instructions
Begin by gathering all the ingredients to your work space and prepping the vegetables. Prepare the meat by cutting it into about 4 in cubes and pat dry with a paper towel and place in crock pot or dutch oven.
Combine rub ingredients and rub all over the meat.
For Crockpot
Prepare the Vegetables.
With your hands add rub to the meat covering the cubes on all sides. Then top with the prepared vegetables and remaining ingredients . Make sure to include the juiced orange and lime rinds . Cover, cook on high for four-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When done you will find the meat separates very easily with two forks and will be very tender.
Once Cooked remove the meat from the crock pot place it a bow allow the meat to rest about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and rinds. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. Do not discard juices.
For Dutch Oven
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and place the oven rack in lower middle position.
Prepare the vegetables.
Once you’ve added rub to the meat top with prepared vegetables the remaining ingredients. Make sure to include the the juiced orange and lime rinds. Cover and cook.
At 1 hour check the meat to ensure you have enough juices rendering if you find that its gotten dry you can add a 1/2 cup of broth.
Cook for another hour to 2 hours until meat is tender and falls apart easily or internal temperature is at least 150 degrees.
Remove from oven and allow the meat to rest about 10 minutes in Dutch Oven, remove bay leaves and rinds. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. Do not discard juices.
To Serve
Heat a drizzle of olive oil ( or preferred oil) in a medium skillet. Without overcrowding the meat cover the surface of the skillet and add a little of the carnitas’ juice. Brown just until the juice has almost evaporated and then flip them and cook a bit more. Make sure to not let them get too dry.
You can store the remaining meat in an air tight container and repeat these browning instructions when ready to use the left overs.
Use any of the sides or toppings listed above to serve. Enjoy!
Notas
Whole 30 approved casava tortillas
Omit rice and cheese if whole 30
Enjoy,
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February is one of my favorite months! Not only because it’s my birthday month, although that plays a big part in it being my favorite, of course but also because I feel hopeful in this month. There’s a hope found in February that I don’t see in any other month, its almost like it marks a crossroads for the rest of the year. It is as if the hope of Spring and the Winter unseen growth seem to collide full force into February creating a catalyst for love to win over apathy.
This year, we don’t want to pass up the opportunity to grasp all the hope available in February when it comes to Black History Month. We want to gather cozy and use our family time to also include learning together. I’m excited to share with you five cozy ways to do this as a family while using your senses to enjoy it all. Will you join us in celebrating Black History Month in a new way?
Watch
Netflix is offering these beautiful read aloud read by influential black people who continue to use their voice with courage and give us opportunity to listen to black voices that lead us well. Here‘s the trailer. Your kiddos will enjoy it alongside you and one will not be enough! I especially love this series because it highlights the talent and skill of Black writers reminding us that we don’t only have to learn about their history through books about civil rights but we can also see into their souls as they write about the experiences they have had in their own skin. This is not the only thing you can watch, there are so many good movies and documentaries to prick from as well.
Another good one for your kiddos to watch alongside you is found on Prime Video. Or just to watch on your own and put yourself in the shoes of a Black child in the time around the Civil Rights Movement and gain more insight for how Black children today are asked to take on life so differently then most of us have to. An American Girl Story-Melody 1963: Love Has to Win. They do a beautiful job of depicting
Listen
Music is an easy way to enjoy the amazing talent of Black musicians. Through their words, rhythm, and powerful compositions we can learn more about how they have been shaped by their own history and see how important it is for us to know that history in general has been shaped by them as well. Here are a few of our favorite play lists from different places on the inter webs. Check out this playlist on Prime. Here’s our new favorite one on Apple Music.
This is one of my favorite ways to learn and also enjoy the Black culture so close to us and so available to us we just need to make time to immerse ourselves in it. The kids and I are reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. This is a beautiful book, a memoir written in poetry form.
A reading
We are also reading through our Bravery Magazines, we are reading about Maya Angelo and working through the activities in the magazine. We are learning about poetry, caring for each other, and how two creatively connect with others realizing we all have more in common than we think. The kids then sent their friends electronically their about me questionnaire and asked their friends to fill out a blank one and send it back to them to see how much they have in common.
Taste
Of course we needed to include food, because well I love food. Celebrating Black History Month requires food indeed. I want to share with you a recipe that I want to try and one we already love and how food connects us through even when we live across the world from each other.
I can not wait to try this Peanut Stew. My friend from Central African Republic makes a delicious meat dish with peanut butter, this recipe reminds me his dish.
As I wrote this article I learned about the “after-chop” dessert course of Western Africa high lighting the fruit salad. Giselle loves making fruit salads and I am so excited to try a African fruit salad with her. One of the most interesting things about this fruit salad is that they add avocado to it. I found this list of ingredients, on kidactivities.net “A fruit salad can be made from just three or four of the ingredients listed below. .Any of the following (fresh or canned): avocado, banana, grapefruit, guava, mango, melon, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, tangerine, juice of one lemon, crushed mint leaves, grated coconut, or chopped roasted peanuts, sugar or honey.”
Support
I have been meditating on this verse recently, especially when it comes to how and where I spend my money.
‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21
So, as a family we want to make a more conscious effort to support local businesses especially those owned by people of color. I especially want to take great care to not always lean to convenience but to choose a small business over next day shipping. One of the places I want to support more this year are the small black owned book stores. I love books and this year I want to support small book stores over the convenience of Amazon.
What about you? In what ways are you celebrating Black History Month? What ides from the five listed above will you implement?
Gracefully,
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Daisy F. Dronen 