Agreeable August
Summer is typically a time of backyard barbecues, days at the pool, camping, vacations, and just enjoying the warmth of the sun as well as the warmth of those around us. Living in Honduras isn't very typical in terms of the kinds of things I enjoy in the summer, but it was full of lots of new faces and warm community. Camp, dinners, girls' day outings, birthdays, and a baby shower hit the spot like a cold lemonade on a hot day. It was an appropriate way to spend the end of the summer. But, autumn also is beginning to linger in the air. And, in the back of my mind, fall recipes are beginning to tempt, and the rainy, overcast days that are the closest we get to autumn here feel agreeable. I even found a couple of leaves that had changed colors around our house. It's a rarity, and it's never seen on a wide scale. But, just about every time this year, I find at least one leaf in a shade of red or yellow. It's a small token of what I nostalgically miss.
With lots of community, inevitably comes lots of food. Some of these are healthy as Raúl and I are making an effort in that area, but some of these just taste good.
Tasty Dishes:
1) Oatmeal Carrot Banana Breakfast Cookies. As usual, I edited this to suit what I had on hand. A surplus in steel cut oats and the desire to be able to come up with something else handy to send in Raúl's breakfasts is what sparked the idea to try these. They are healthy and taste healthy as you'd expect, but they're also filling and pretty good. They could definitely be made better by adding chocolate chips. I just didn't have any on hand. I used these sites as inspiration:
https://bromabakery.com/2017/10/healthy-carrot-cake-breakfast-cookies.html
https://jessicainthekitchen.com/breakfast-cookies/
I used steel cut oats, regular white flour, grated carrots, mashed bananas, golden raisins, local honey, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
2) Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale, and Tuna Salad. Because Hondurans usually eat their strongest meal of the day at lunch, Raúl and I have been eating a lot of salads for dinner for something lighter. I am always a believer that roasting vegetables is the way to go, and these sweet potatoes are no exception. I typically roast my vegetables with some garlic cloves, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sometimes some red pepper flakes. Simple but great. I also like kale for salads because they hold up to dressings without losing any of their texture. I usually keep some basic things on hand for salads just so that they can be tailor made--hard-boiled eggs, a can of chick peas, feta cheese crumbles, olives, pepperoncini or banana peppers, among others. I also like to make my own salad dressings with whatever is on hand. A quick vinaigrette can include some kind of oil like olive oil, a couple of acids like vinegar and mustard or lime juice, a bit of honey, salt, and pepper.
3) Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, Broccoli, and Cauliflower. I used these links as inspiration:
https://aseasyasapplepie.com/garlic-shrimp-and-quinoa/
https://www.wellplated.com/garlic-shrimp-with-quinoa/
I just added some roasted broccoli and cauliflower to make it more of a full meal.
4) Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice. Rice usually does not impress me. It goes well with other foods, but it's just not something I'm going to get a craving to eat. BUT, this rice is so good, and this recipe is my go-to when I'm making rice for other people. I'm usually not a strict recipe user, but I've had my fair share of fails when it comes to rice (and using a gas stove!). I can't count how many times I've used this recipe, and it has turned out just right every single time I've made it. This is the link:
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-mexican-rice-recipes-from-the-kitchn-198867
5) Sausage and Potato Hash Baked Eggs. Every Saturday, I feed anywhere from 8 to 15 people, and most of them are growing young men and teenagers. Substantial food that fills is the order. And, this recipe fit the bill alongside some red beans and a fresh salad to try to add some kind of freshness to the mix. I used these links as inspiration:
https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/skillet-potato-hash-with-baked-eggs/
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-eggs-chorizo-and-potatoes
Because I was making for a crowd, I baked the eggs in a Pyrex rather than my cast iron skillet, and it worked just as well. I also added some shredded cheddar cheese on top. It was a hit.
Books I Finished This Month:
Thumbnail from amazon.com
1) The Throne Room Company by Shawn Bolz. This book is a short read but with some powerful reminders. Its most powerful reminder is to live with an eternal mindset and how that should change our lifestyles and the decisions we make. Some excerpts I noted were:
"Therefore we do not need anything else to complete us--not a job or even a marriage and a family. As believers, we can be fully sustained in God's love by His Spirit."
"Religious work that invests first in people can be done through human power, with or without regard to God. As a result, we as ministers form our identities not in Jesus, but in our ministries."
Overall, it's a book about keeping company with the Person of God and making that our first priority.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
2) Bossypants by Tina Fey, audiobook. In the spirit of listening to the stories of people unlike me, as I wrote about in my last post, I started listening to this a while back. She had some pretty funny stories, and it was interesting to hear about how her SNL days played out. I will say, though, while I enjoy audiobooks especially while I'm washing dishes or exercising, my retention of what I listen to isn't as great as when I actually visually read. But, then again, I'm not an auditory learner. This book probably isn't for everyone as it does have some language, and it's coming from someone who obviously may have some polarizing views, but as a collection of life experiences, it was fascinating and funny. And, I enjoy that Tina Fey often doesn't make the obvious joke but digs a little deeper to say something equally funny but also thought-provoking.
Thumbnail from businessinsider.com
3) The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. My aunt gave me this book while I was in the States, and it was fascinating! It was especially interesting because it's about Honduras. In Honduras, there is an area called La Moskitia. It's a large area of the country with dense jungle terrain. In the time I've been here, La Moskitia has mostly been associated with that jungle terrain but also with drug smuggling and even a hidden underground lab where cocaine was being produced. But, I hadn't heard the legends of the lost city believed to be hidden somewhere near that area. This book details the true story of the many attempts to find this lost city of ruins and also the expedition of scientists who did discover it in 2012. I had heard the story of a lost city of ruins being found in Honduras via an article that circulated the internet, but it was a short article with few details. What made it possible for this team to find the lost city was using lidar, NASA-used technology to map out the ruins beneath the dense growth of the jungle. Once that technology had established some basic locations, a group of people entered the dangerous jungle to see what they could find. They found numerous ruins and artifacts. This book was full of some crazy experiences--sleeping near fer-de-lance snakes whose fangs can pierce leather boots and whose poison can cause necrotic tissue so fast that amputations are sometimes necessary, the interactions of bribery and conniving that took place to finagle being able to explore in La Moskitia, and the incurable disease almost everyone on the expedition contracted. Raúl hadn't heard any of this story, and I enjoyed telling him the details. The accounts of Honduran bureaucracy and mindsets were very familiar. Some of the history of relations between the US and Honduras was probably the most eye-opening. I had read some of it before, but the most ridiculous aspects were new to me. It's a good read and a valid look into some of why Honduras is the way that it is.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
4) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I don't always get the opportunity to read a book before a movie based on the book is made. But, when I saw that Netflix was coming out with a movie based on this book, I had time when I was in the States to buy it. I had heard some good things about this book when I was in college; I just didn't have any time to read for pleasure at the time. This book is a story that unfolds via letters among the characters. The principal character, Juliet Ashton, is a writer who is looking for her next story when she stumbles upon a story of how books maintained the morale for a group of friends and neighbors during the German Occupation. The story, for the most part, takes place in London and Guernsey, an island. Charming feels like an understatement for these books and textured characters. And, as is usually the case, the movie doesn't really do it justice. There is a love story that transpires in the book, but it's not the focal point. The magic of this book is the community the characters share, and the way that a woman's life and view of herself is transformed by the love of of those odd characters. The historical setting and letter format are just icing on the cake. This book was both witty and cozy, heartbreaking and joyful. I really enjoyed it.
What I Watched:
1) Conviction. I am a fan of Hilary Swank. I am also a fan of movies based on true stories. This has both. This movie is eight years old, so maybe I missed the original boat on this one. But what an amazing story (with a tragic ending that doesn't appear in the movie--look it up)! The movie follows the story of real-life Betty Anne Waters as her brother is falsely accused of murdering a next-door neighbor. A family with few resources, their access to good lawyers was basically non-existent. So, a dedicated sister, Betty Anne puts herself through undergrad and then law school for the sole purpose of proving her brother was innocent. And, what becomes her greatest support was the beginning uses of DNA within the courtroom and legal system as viable evidence. She also enlists the help of Barry Scheck from The Innocence Project to help guide her. Betty Anne Waters, in real life, following the events in the movie, hasn't practiced law any more other than to consult on a few other wrongly accused cases via The Innocence Project. She had no goals of grandeur in the courtroom; she just wanted to do her brother justice.
2) Project Runway. I've only seen a few seasons that are on Netflix here, but I love anything that involves creating something. I'm amazed at what some of these designers come up with and how they approach each challenge. High fashion comes off rather snobby in some cases, but creativity is always something that draws me.
3) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Obviously, since I read the book, I was interested to see how they adapted it for the screen. I love Lily James as an actress, and the movie taken on its own, apart from the book, is sweet and inviting. But I couldn't help but be distracted by characters who were edited out, story lines that were twisted or ignored, and characters who didn't feel true to the book. If I hadn't read the book, perhaps I would've enjoyed it more, but it didn't keep much of the magic of the book which was disappointing.
Favorites:
1) Blackout by Steffany Gretzinger. I wrote about this CD before it came out, and it did not disappoint. This CD was a labor of love and pondering in the midst of her father's cancer battle. Given what the last year held for my family with my grandfather, that's a journey that feels close to my heart. Her first CD, The Undoing, was very pared down. True to its title, it mainly consisted of melodic piano and heartfelt vocals. This CD has an entirely different, much more electronic sound to it on some songs, but for some songs, she keeps true to her pared down, piano roots. But, the soulful vocals are the same. Lyrics are usually what most draw my attention to a song, and it should be noted that Steffany Gretzinger is not just a singer but also a songwriter, which makes her music much more personal. Some of the songs on the CD I really like are "Confident," "Sing My Way Back," and "This Is the Sound." I also really like "Oxygen" as I previously heard her sing the chorus in a spontaneous song she sang in a worship set. The whole CD is really great though.
2) MyFitnessPal App. In the interest of getting healthy and being more mindful of what I'm actually eating in a day, I started using this app a couple weeks ago. This app tailors your goals and sets a daily caloric intake goal. You can input what you eat and also when you exercise, and it keeps track of not only what calories your eating and burning but also how much vitamins and nutrients your diet is including. And, while I don't own a scale and my only sense of how I'm doing weight-wise is how my clothes fit, it's really interesting to look at a breakdown of how much Vitamin C, iron, calcium, etc. I'm eating on a regular basis. It's pretty easy for me to stick with, and if nothing else, it's keeping me mindful in trying to make better choices about what and how much I eat.
3) New Friends. Raúl and I have recently had the privilege of spending some time with some friends who are also in ministry. Some of them I met through Ladies' Bible Study. And, we've enjoyed getting to know them, and we're blessed by the continued effort to start a sense of community among us. It's nice to have a group of people who understand the ins and out of ministry and who also form a bit of a respite from the ins and outs of our own ministry dealings. I am a fan of having friends in many different arenas and walks of life.
Well, with summer coming to a close, I'm looking forward to apple cider (which will have to be from scratch or not at all), sweater weather, cinnamon scented candles, thinking of ways to share traditions with the people around me, butternut squash soup, and so much more. Autumn, because I don't really get to experience it in all its glory in the States, has become my favorite season since I moved here.
Happy end-of-the-summer, back-to-school, hints-of-autumn season to you!
With lots of community, inevitably comes lots of food. Some of these are healthy as Raúl and I are making an effort in that area, but some of these just taste good.
Tasty Dishes:
1) Oatmeal Carrot Banana Breakfast Cookies. As usual, I edited this to suit what I had on hand. A surplus in steel cut oats and the desire to be able to come up with something else handy to send in Raúl's breakfasts is what sparked the idea to try these. They are healthy and taste healthy as you'd expect, but they're also filling and pretty good. They could definitely be made better by adding chocolate chips. I just didn't have any on hand. I used these sites as inspiration:
https://bromabakery.com/2017/10/healthy-carrot-cake-breakfast-cookies.html
https://jessicainthekitchen.com/breakfast-cookies/
I used steel cut oats, regular white flour, grated carrots, mashed bananas, golden raisins, local honey, flaxseeds, and chia seeds.
2) Roasted Sweet Potato, Kale, and Tuna Salad. Because Hondurans usually eat their strongest meal of the day at lunch, Raúl and I have been eating a lot of salads for dinner for something lighter. I am always a believer that roasting vegetables is the way to go, and these sweet potatoes are no exception. I typically roast my vegetables with some garlic cloves, salt, pepper, olive oil, and sometimes some red pepper flakes. Simple but great. I also like kale for salads because they hold up to dressings without losing any of their texture. I usually keep some basic things on hand for salads just so that they can be tailor made--hard-boiled eggs, a can of chick peas, feta cheese crumbles, olives, pepperoncini or banana peppers, among others. I also like to make my own salad dressings with whatever is on hand. A quick vinaigrette can include some kind of oil like olive oil, a couple of acids like vinegar and mustard or lime juice, a bit of honey, salt, and pepper.
3) Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa, Broccoli, and Cauliflower. I used these links as inspiration:
https://aseasyasapplepie.com/garlic-shrimp-and-quinoa/
https://www.wellplated.com/garlic-shrimp-with-quinoa/
I just added some roasted broccoli and cauliflower to make it more of a full meal.
4) Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice. Rice usually does not impress me. It goes well with other foods, but it's just not something I'm going to get a craving to eat. BUT, this rice is so good, and this recipe is my go-to when I'm making rice for other people. I'm usually not a strict recipe user, but I've had my fair share of fails when it comes to rice (and using a gas stove!). I can't count how many times I've used this recipe, and it has turned out just right every single time I've made it. This is the link:
https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-mexican-rice-recipes-from-the-kitchn-198867
5) Sausage and Potato Hash Baked Eggs. Every Saturday, I feed anywhere from 8 to 15 people, and most of them are growing young men and teenagers. Substantial food that fills is the order. And, this recipe fit the bill alongside some red beans and a fresh salad to try to add some kind of freshness to the mix. I used these links as inspiration:
https://www.melissassouthernstylekitchen.com/skillet-potato-hash-with-baked-eggs/
https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-eggs-chorizo-and-potatoes
Because I was making for a crowd, I baked the eggs in a Pyrex rather than my cast iron skillet, and it worked just as well. I also added some shredded cheddar cheese on top. It was a hit.
Books I Finished This Month:
Thumbnail from amazon.com
1) The Throne Room Company by Shawn Bolz. This book is a short read but with some powerful reminders. Its most powerful reminder is to live with an eternal mindset and how that should change our lifestyles and the decisions we make. Some excerpts I noted were:
"Therefore we do not need anything else to complete us--not a job or even a marriage and a family. As believers, we can be fully sustained in God's love by His Spirit."
"Religious work that invests first in people can be done through human power, with or without regard to God. As a result, we as ministers form our identities not in Jesus, but in our ministries."
Overall, it's a book about keeping company with the Person of God and making that our first priority.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
2) Bossypants by Tina Fey, audiobook. In the spirit of listening to the stories of people unlike me, as I wrote about in my last post, I started listening to this a while back. She had some pretty funny stories, and it was interesting to hear about how her SNL days played out. I will say, though, while I enjoy audiobooks especially while I'm washing dishes or exercising, my retention of what I listen to isn't as great as when I actually visually read. But, then again, I'm not an auditory learner. This book probably isn't for everyone as it does have some language, and it's coming from someone who obviously may have some polarizing views, but as a collection of life experiences, it was fascinating and funny. And, I enjoy that Tina Fey often doesn't make the obvious joke but digs a little deeper to say something equally funny but also thought-provoking.
Thumbnail from businessinsider.com
3) The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. My aunt gave me this book while I was in the States, and it was fascinating! It was especially interesting because it's about Honduras. In Honduras, there is an area called La Moskitia. It's a large area of the country with dense jungle terrain. In the time I've been here, La Moskitia has mostly been associated with that jungle terrain but also with drug smuggling and even a hidden underground lab where cocaine was being produced. But, I hadn't heard the legends of the lost city believed to be hidden somewhere near that area. This book details the true story of the many attempts to find this lost city of ruins and also the expedition of scientists who did discover it in 2012. I had heard the story of a lost city of ruins being found in Honduras via an article that circulated the internet, but it was a short article with few details. What made it possible for this team to find the lost city was using lidar, NASA-used technology to map out the ruins beneath the dense growth of the jungle. Once that technology had established some basic locations, a group of people entered the dangerous jungle to see what they could find. They found numerous ruins and artifacts. This book was full of some crazy experiences--sleeping near fer-de-lance snakes whose fangs can pierce leather boots and whose poison can cause necrotic tissue so fast that amputations are sometimes necessary, the interactions of bribery and conniving that took place to finagle being able to explore in La Moskitia, and the incurable disease almost everyone on the expedition contracted. Raúl hadn't heard any of this story, and I enjoyed telling him the details. The accounts of Honduran bureaucracy and mindsets were very familiar. Some of the history of relations between the US and Honduras was probably the most eye-opening. I had read some of it before, but the most ridiculous aspects were new to me. It's a good read and a valid look into some of why Honduras is the way that it is.
Thumbnail from amazon.com
4) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I don't always get the opportunity to read a book before a movie based on the book is made. But, when I saw that Netflix was coming out with a movie based on this book, I had time when I was in the States to buy it. I had heard some good things about this book when I was in college; I just didn't have any time to read for pleasure at the time. This book is a story that unfolds via letters among the characters. The principal character, Juliet Ashton, is a writer who is looking for her next story when she stumbles upon a story of how books maintained the morale for a group of friends and neighbors during the German Occupation. The story, for the most part, takes place in London and Guernsey, an island. Charming feels like an understatement for these books and textured characters. And, as is usually the case, the movie doesn't really do it justice. There is a love story that transpires in the book, but it's not the focal point. The magic of this book is the community the characters share, and the way that a woman's life and view of herself is transformed by the love of of those odd characters. The historical setting and letter format are just icing on the cake. This book was both witty and cozy, heartbreaking and joyful. I really enjoyed it.
What I Watched:
1) Conviction. I am a fan of Hilary Swank. I am also a fan of movies based on true stories. This has both. This movie is eight years old, so maybe I missed the original boat on this one. But what an amazing story (with a tragic ending that doesn't appear in the movie--look it up)! The movie follows the story of real-life Betty Anne Waters as her brother is falsely accused of murdering a next-door neighbor. A family with few resources, their access to good lawyers was basically non-existent. So, a dedicated sister, Betty Anne puts herself through undergrad and then law school for the sole purpose of proving her brother was innocent. And, what becomes her greatest support was the beginning uses of DNA within the courtroom and legal system as viable evidence. She also enlists the help of Barry Scheck from The Innocence Project to help guide her. Betty Anne Waters, in real life, following the events in the movie, hasn't practiced law any more other than to consult on a few other wrongly accused cases via The Innocence Project. She had no goals of grandeur in the courtroom; she just wanted to do her brother justice.
2) Project Runway. I've only seen a few seasons that are on Netflix here, but I love anything that involves creating something. I'm amazed at what some of these designers come up with and how they approach each challenge. High fashion comes off rather snobby in some cases, but creativity is always something that draws me.
3) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Obviously, since I read the book, I was interested to see how they adapted it for the screen. I love Lily James as an actress, and the movie taken on its own, apart from the book, is sweet and inviting. But I couldn't help but be distracted by characters who were edited out, story lines that were twisted or ignored, and characters who didn't feel true to the book. If I hadn't read the book, perhaps I would've enjoyed it more, but it didn't keep much of the magic of the book which was disappointing.
Favorites:
1) Blackout by Steffany Gretzinger. I wrote about this CD before it came out, and it did not disappoint. This CD was a labor of love and pondering in the midst of her father's cancer battle. Given what the last year held for my family with my grandfather, that's a journey that feels close to my heart. Her first CD, The Undoing, was very pared down. True to its title, it mainly consisted of melodic piano and heartfelt vocals. This CD has an entirely different, much more electronic sound to it on some songs, but for some songs, she keeps true to her pared down, piano roots. But, the soulful vocals are the same. Lyrics are usually what most draw my attention to a song, and it should be noted that Steffany Gretzinger is not just a singer but also a songwriter, which makes her music much more personal. Some of the songs on the CD I really like are "Confident," "Sing My Way Back," and "This Is the Sound." I also really like "Oxygen" as I previously heard her sing the chorus in a spontaneous song she sang in a worship set. The whole CD is really great though.
2) MyFitnessPal App. In the interest of getting healthy and being more mindful of what I'm actually eating in a day, I started using this app a couple weeks ago. This app tailors your goals and sets a daily caloric intake goal. You can input what you eat and also when you exercise, and it keeps track of not only what calories your eating and burning but also how much vitamins and nutrients your diet is including. And, while I don't own a scale and my only sense of how I'm doing weight-wise is how my clothes fit, it's really interesting to look at a breakdown of how much Vitamin C, iron, calcium, etc. I'm eating on a regular basis. It's pretty easy for me to stick with, and if nothing else, it's keeping me mindful in trying to make better choices about what and how much I eat.
3) New Friends. Raúl and I have recently had the privilege of spending some time with some friends who are also in ministry. Some of them I met through Ladies' Bible Study. And, we've enjoyed getting to know them, and we're blessed by the continued effort to start a sense of community among us. It's nice to have a group of people who understand the ins and out of ministry and who also form a bit of a respite from the ins and outs of our own ministry dealings. I am a fan of having friends in many different arenas and walks of life.
Well, with summer coming to a close, I'm looking forward to apple cider (which will have to be from scratch or not at all), sweater weather, cinnamon scented candles, thinking of ways to share traditions with the people around me, butternut squash soup, and so much more. Autumn, because I don't really get to experience it in all its glory in the States, has become my favorite season since I moved here.
Happy end-of-the-summer, back-to-school, hints-of-autumn season to you!
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