Upping Your Coffee Game to Level Awesome

I lie there motionless, still slightly in a fog I slowly open my eyes. So badly I want to rollover and go back to sleep, but there is something there that urges me foreword. Like a siren drawing the unsuspecting sailor from the safety of his ship, it calls to me. I know I'll be warmer here in bed. I know that once I'm up thats it. I can't come back to this place for at least another 16 hours, but the siren sings louder. That siren is the smell of a freshly brewed pot of coffee. Like a shark smells blood in the water, I'm telling you I could smell that aroma from a mile off.

That may seem a bit intense to you. Like perhaps its a bit of an exaggeration. But I assure you my friends the struggle is real!!

I feel like as far as coffee is concerned there are coffee drinkers, coffee people, and coffee snobs. Coffee drinkers are those who like a cup to to get going in the morning, its part of routine for them. Not very picky, some of them even tolerate instant. She says as she shudders at the thought. Coffee people usually have some preference as to brand or roast. They are acquainted with the ordering process at Starschmucks...I mean Starbucks. And are most likely drinking more than one cup a day. Then there are coffee snobs. You may recognize us by our upturned noses. We support and prefer local coffee shops. We not only have a specific brand we prefer, but we prefer a certain brewing process and particular growing region. We silently judge you when we hear you try and be serious about Maxwell House. It isn't right, but its the facts.

I confess to you that I am a coffee snob, of the highest order. So much so in fact that I made it my job. I own a coffee and dessert catering company, Pour and Kneady Espresso Catering. I can't bear the thought of you going another day drinking subpar coffee, so I have a few simple tips here to improve your coffee game. As an connoisseur, an addict, a professional I beseech and implore thee, stop brewing blah coffee!

BEANS
As my girl, Julie Andrews, would say; Lets start at the very beginning. (crap, now that's going to be stuck in my head all day) Start with the freshest beans you can get! The bean comes from a cherry and so just like any other fruit the fresher the better! Now that you have fresh beans, you are going to want to take great care in how you store them. Keep them in an air tight container in a cool, dark, dry place. If you do not have a grinder and will be getting your coffee ground ahead of time, this part is imperative. DO NOT STORE YOUR GROUND COFFEE IN THE FREEZER!! Coffee breaks down quickly when exposed to light, extreme temperatures and oxygen. 
WATER
Unless you have a filtration system, stop using your tap water to do the brew. Iron, sulfur and other things in your water can greatly affect the taste of your coffee. Use cold, purified, bottled water. 
MEASURING
The proper amount of grinds per 6oz. of water is 2 tablespoons. Use measuring cups and spoons to make sure you are getting a precise measurement. Too few grinds can leave you with a bitter cup of joe. And only brew what you'll be able to drink now. Every time you heat up coffee, or just leave it out for that matter, it will affect the very volatile flavors and aromas of your brew. 

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. Iceberg...ice...iced coffee, we'll get to that another time. But if you begin to implement these things in your home brewing process, I assure you your coffee snob friends will thank you, your taste buds will thank you. And remember KEEP CALM and SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COFFEE SHOP! (shout out to our friends and roasters at Pike Creek Coffee) 

This is my Mara Mug. It fits 16oz of coffee, is hand made in Mexico and no two are alike. If you are going to make a quality brew, I highly recommend drinking it out of a quality mug. 

An Observation in Authenticity

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY BE UNCOMFORTABLE. Knowledge equals responsibility. Once you are aware you are officially accountable. If you wish to remain unaware and therefore unaccountable STOP HERE.

I have a babysitter for a few hours and errands to run. You have to use a lot of backroads to get to almost anywhere around here. Lots of two lane roads, lots of large farm vehicles, lots of opportunities to practice patience. The weather is nicer then it has been so with the windows cracked and the Christian heavy metal loud, I take the time to enjoy the journey.

I am a really good driver. As a type A personality, I am a rule follower at heart. I keep my hands at 10 and 2, keep a safe distance, check my mirrors frequently. As I look up to check my mirrors, I see him...or her I can't be certain. But you've encountered them as well. The people in a hurry to go nowhere. They are following me so closely, they can read the tag in the back of my shirt. I breathe a 10 count, and try to ignore them. I'm already going about 5 over the speed limit so I'm certainly not speeding up. Once we hit the dotted yellow line, they jerk into the other lane and zoom past. I smile at them, but its a rude, are you happy with yourself smile. Then I see it...the Jesus fish.

"You've gotta be flipping kidding me!" I say out loud to no one. This REALLY bothers me! 

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

If we look at the word ALL here, in its original context, it means....ALL. Fascinating isn't it. As disciples of Christ we have a responsibility to do every thing we do authentically. Meaning who we say we are should be evident in the way we live. Everything matters! Everything is being watched. Sometimes we are being watched by a world that needs to see Jesus. Sometimes we are being watched by our children, who need to know that their parents are who they say they are. That we are trustworthy, that we are real! How you drive, the way you treat the incompetent cashier, the way you tip. (Sorry about your toes, but I warned you at the beginning.) All of these things are evidence of the Christ who saved us. Take the stinking Jesus fish off the bumper, that makes you feel good about taking a stand and actually take a stand. Be authentic. Do every little thing for the glory of God. And the next time you feel the need to drive like a butt head, remind yourself, people are watching...Jesus is watching. You will mess up...I will mess up! But once we adjust the way we think, slowly it will affect the way we act, and that will affect our world!

Telling Stories

"You should write a blog?"..."I'll pass." 
"Have you ever thought about writing a blog?" .... "Like I have time for that!" 
"You should really think about writing a blog!" .... "You come do my dishes and clip my coupons and I'll start a blog!" 

All of those were my initial responses to blogging. I honestly had never really paid much attention to blogs. I had read a random one here and there, but never paid them much mind. Also I am seriously busy! I homeschool, lead a cell/small group, run a business, manage the feeding ministry at church, and am an all around domestic goddess. She says as she rolls her eyes. Not to mention I always tend to resist anything lots of people say I should be doing. Its one of the quirks left over from my rebel without a cause, maladjusted teen days. But here I am...blogging. So what happened?

One day I was reading a friends blog, The Purposeful Housewife, and I heard deep down inside me "You could do this." I ignored it and kept reading and then again "You should do this." Ummm I don't have time for this Lord, don't you know I have stuff to do! But it kept bugging me, like when your kid wants candy and you told him he can have some later. "Now?...Is it later now?....Hey Mom can I have that candy?" Until finally you're annoyed out of your activities to the point of action. I asked the Lord to tell me a name, give me a vision. You see most people need the Lord to urge them to speak up, not I! I need the Lord to constantly remind me to shut up! But there it was like a skilled game of grocery cart Tetris, everything was falling into place. I had something to say, something He needed me to say. 

And thats really the things isn't it? The thing the Lord needs you to say. Not the thing I can think of, or the thing I want to say, but the word deep down in my heart that He has given me to say. And here's the thing, you have something to say to! Not your opinion because the world doesn't need to hear your opinion, even if they want it. What they need is truth! They need your testimony, they need you to tell your story. You have the keys to someone's burning building...for Pete's sake let them out!! 

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...

Rev. 12:11a ESV

Stop Staying This!

Here we are, at the grocery store again. This is probably the third time we've been here this week, because those malnourished kids in the PediaSure commercials don't live at my house. I look at the list repeatedly, because somehow once I enter the store I turn into Dory from Finding Nemo and can't remember what it was I just read two seconds ago. One child is running his tongue down the edge of the raw meat display (that actually happened once), another is insisting on helping push the cart and running into every end cap (this happens every time), and the baby is farting so loud people think its me. I look up to scan the aisle numbers and make eye contact. CRAP! Here they come, they are going to say something to me. I know that they are going to say something to me because they are making that face that you make when you're waiting for someone to take a breath during conversation so you can say whatever it was you thought of while you were pretending to listen. I know I should be thinking of some way in that moment I could be Jesus in this situation, that I should be ready to love on them, but I will be totally honest all I can think is Please just walk by. Please don't say it. "Boy I bet you have your hands full!" THERE IT IS! What gave it away? The fact that my yoga pants have spit up on them or that I've left the house with deodorant only on one under arm and eyeliner on one eye?

Why do people always say that!?! How is that helpful? Thank you for pointing out the fact that it looks like I'm overwhelmed. How come no one ever says "Hang in there, you're doing a great job."?
How come I never say that?

Have you ever seen two bikers pass each other on the highway and they give the low wave? We mothers loaded down with kids, need some signal like this. Something that says "I feel your pain sister. I know you haven't bathed yet today, and thats okay. Cause you were brave enough to go out in public, so good on ya!"

So I offer you a challenge today, whether you are single or a Mom of one or a Mom of seven. (I'm stopping right now and praying for you, if that's you.) Next time you see a Mom that looks at the end of her rope, with kids hanging off of her like some sick game of barrel of monkeys. DO NOT SAY "You sure do have your hands full." (I imagine some hokey hardy har laugh here.) but instead encourage, lift up, edify. She needs it...we need it!!

And they're not always a handful.

It's Still Winter

One of my favorite things about my home is our wood stove! Not only does it just look nice, but it saves us a butt-load of money on our winter utility bills. As a one income family thats huge!! We never have to buy wood for it, because we collect and chop it all ourselves. 

This is me wielding the chainsaw at 7 months pregnant. 

Two summers ago, we had a hurricane that knocked over a mess of trees. My husband was thrilled! It was FREE fire wood! He spent 3 weekends in the blazing heat cutting up and hauling away lumber from a friends yard. He would come home smelling like gas from the chainsaw and hours of sweat, caked in saw dust. I have to admit there in the 90 something degree weather, I had a hard time seeing the value in it. I thought surely we have enough by now. Seriously it was MOUNTAINS of logs! Now here we are two years later, expecting snow on the 25th of March. I see the value!! 

This morning as I was reading my friend, Allie Casazza's, book Mama Needs A Reboot. (It's really fantastic, you should go get it...now I'll wait here.) Okay now that you're back. I was reading the chapter Mama Needs to be Ready. These words rung like a gong in my head "Having His Word hidden in your heart means it's there for easy access in difficult times. I suddenly remembered the wood stove and all the prep you have to do in the season of plenty. Friends I beg of you, do not wait until the blizzard is beating at the door of your heart, to scramble for fuel. Cause you can be sure a winter will come, you can bet your sweet bippy on that. A storehouse filled with hope and correction will be the difference between speaking life or death, the difference between wandering aimlessly or vision! Even if its only one verse a day, read it, store it up. You will need it, when you least expect it! 

Allie is The Purposeful Housewife. You can find a link to her blog on the right hand side.

Meatloaf Cupcakes

So when I first met my husband he was a serious meat and potatoes guy. There were very few vegetables in his diet and he was not looking to make new food friends. So I started finding ways to sneak vegetables into his favorite foods. Fast forward a few years to when my second son was in his twos. Every night was a showdown at the Okra Corral...don't worry I didn't try and force my kid to eat okra it just worked for the joke. Let me just stop here and say how annoying I find picky eaters. Perhaps its because I'm rather adventurous with my diet or because I've looked starving children in the eye, but it just irritates me! So in order to appease the tiny beast and still get him vital nutrients, I started sneaking them in again. This recipe combines two of my favorite sneaking methods. Hope it works for you!

So to get started mix all of your meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl. I chose carrots and red peppers to hide in the meatloaf, but you can pick whatever you would like really. Fresh spinach works great too!

Spoon your filling into a cupcake tin. Each cup should take about 2 table spoons (not the measuring device, but the large spoon in the silverware drawer) Place it in your preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

A picture should have gone here, but I'm new at this and forgot to take one. Sorry.

Next we will start in on the "icing" for your cupcakes. The sneaked in veggie here is cauliflower, but I have used parsnips before too. You are going to take 2 cups of cooked cauliflower and 1 cup of milk and blend them in your food processor until its smooth.

Then take your favorite instant or scratch made mashed potato recipe and prepare 4 servings worth of it with slightly less liquid than you normally would. (If its too loose, it won't pipe onto the meatloaf cupcake.)

Fold the two together until fully incorporated. Let it cool a little or you will burn the crap out of your hand when you fill the piping bag...trust me!!

Once your meatloaf is done you are going to want to take them out and let them rest for about 5 minutes. You always want to let your meat rest, this will help it retain all its juices!

Fill your piping bag (or ziploc bag with a corner cut off) with your mashed potatoes and pipe a swirl on top. Add some carrot shred sprinkles and voila meatloaf cupcakes.

When I was taking this picture my oldest son screamed "Cupcakes for dinner???" and as you can see he was happy with the results. This was his "dinner rocks" face. And even the picky one cleared his plate! 

Meatloaf 

1.5lb ground beef or turkey

1 cup of milk

1 tbl. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. rubbed sage 

1/2 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. ground mustard (dry)

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 large egg

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup diced red pepper 

ketchup, chili sauce, or barbecue sauce to top

It's Not a Competition...Yet

So you know those recreational leagues where the emphasis is on having a good time and everyone is a winner? I hate those. I think it promotes laziness and an unrealistic grasp of how life works, but most of all it doesn't sit well with my love for competition. Board games, video games, sports, tests I want to win them all! I wish I could tell you my thirst for victory stopped there but motherhood, business ownership, life I want to win those too. The thing is you can't be the best at everything, you just can't. 

I saw something last week that said "Comparison is the thief of joy." and boy don't I know it. I struggle with a competitive spirit. I want so badly to be the best that I struggle to be happy for you when you succeed. Your promotion reminds me that my business hasn't really taken off yet. Your PDA reminds me that my marriage isn't always picture perfect. And I'm not okay with that. 

A lot of people assume that this is a man's issue. Get real Mom's! How many of us feel that twinge to "one up" when a lady posts her kids successes. We've got to stop it! It was the need to be better than the rest that got Satan cast out of heaven. The root of competitiveness and perfectionism is pride. Make a decision today that okay can sometimes be okay. Fight for joy with me! We can share a slice of humble pie. I'll bring the whipped cream! 

For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 

Gal. 6:3AMP