Fall Days are Here!

We were looking for a way to share a great recipe for bread that we baked today and finally remembered...we have a blog we can post it on!! Can't believe it's been nearly a year since we wrote here about how he Lord is blessing us and teaching us to redeem the time. I suppose we've been too busy learning and forgot to doing the sharing part ;)

Well. . .back to the original reason for today's post. Fall weather and a long weekend finally coincided to give us a day of quilting and baking. Over the last year, we decided to take the plunge and learn to bake bread the artisan way - something we've longed to delve into for a long time. We've experimented with no-knead breads in a dutch oven (super awesome way to bake!), naan flatbread (scrumptious!), and today we tried our hand at ciabatta bread. Here's the recipe we used from "The Essential Baking Cookbook" Murdoch Books publication, 2000.

Ciabatta
Prep time: 30 min (+5 hours 15 min rising)
Total cooking time: 30 min
Makes 1 freeform loaf

7g (1 1/4 tsp) dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour (we used all-purpose flour since that's what was on hand)
50 ml olive oil
2.5 oz  + 7 oz water

1.  Place the yeast, sugar and 2.5 oz warm water in a small bowl and stir well. Leave in a warm, draft-free place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. If your yeast doesn't foam it is dead, so you will have to discard it and start again.

2.  Mix the salt and 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, oil and 7 oz water to the bowl and stir to combine. Use a cupped hand to knead the wet dough, lifting and stirring for 5 minutes (this was so much fun!!). The dough will be quite wet at this stage.

3.  Shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 4 hours or until doubled in size.

4.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of flour, using a cupped hand, and mix until the flour has been incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Cover again with plastic wrap or clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to 1 hr 15 min.

5. Liberally sprinkle a large baking tray with flour. Do not punch down the dough but carefully tip it out onto the tray. Use floured hands to spread the dough into an oval about 12" by 5" . Use well-floured hands to spread the dough evenly and tuck under the edges to plump up the loaf. Sprinkle liberally with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 415 degrees F. Place a heatproof container of ice on the base of the oven (this creates necessary steam!). Bake the ciabatta for 30 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove the melted ice after about 20 minutes. The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.

We really love bread recipes that are completely hands-on (i.e. no mixers, paddles, machines...) so this one seemed right up our alley. It was great to put our hands in the dough and shape it into that classic "slipper" shape. Added bonus...it doesn't require long periods of kneading that can make one's arms go to sleep :) Yay!

Drumroll please.....

Enjoy these beautiful fall days! Spend them with family doing some of your favorite things. Celebrate the blessings our Lord has bestowed so graciously on us.

Until next time, (hopefully sooner than later)...
Stephanie and Virginia

Thankfulness

November seems to be a bittersweet month for me. For one thing, it is sad because it signals the end of my favorite season - autumn. The glorious colors of the trees are fading, and the weather turns cold and blustery. This month also reminds me that another year is almost gone, and the time has gone so fast. I ask myself: what progress have I made this year? Usually, I struggle to answer that question to my satisfaction. Have I given sacrificially to those around me? Have I taken every opportunity to love the Lord my God and grow in my relationship with Him? Have I shown unconditional love to my family? Many times the answer to these is no, so then I have to examine the reasons why and deal with those before God.

As depressing as it can be to go through this question-answer process and stare my weaknesses and failures in the face, in the end I am grateful for it because there is no other way to break out of my own selfish bubble and live as I should. The process also brings me face-to-face with the unending grace and mercy of my God. So, I can also say that November is a wonderful time of year because it reminds me to take time to proclaim my thankfulness for who God is, what He has done in my life and the promises He gives for tomorrow.

With the Thanksgiving celebration just a few weeks away, I want to make a conscious effort to have an attitude of thankfulness every day. Today, I am most thankful for life: the life I am living now is a beautiful gift from God, and He has given it to me abundantly; but also, I am thankful that He has given me the guarantee of eternal life in His presence. I'm not worthy to receive anything from God, but because of His great love for me, He chose to rescue me from death. Amazingly, He has chosen to walk by my side through this life and longs for me to acknowledge Him and live for Him every day. I pray that I will never forget these truths and that slowly but surely they will become reality in my life, evidenced through my words and actions. Then, and only then, will I be able to look back on my days and say "yes" to those questions.

This is what "redeeming the time" is all about: living every day in obedience to the Lord who has saved me.

Stephanie

Rainy Day

It's been a rainy day here on the East Coast...that's an understatement. We are in the midst of Hurricane Sandy. Steady rain and gusty winds all day, and expected to continue into tomorrow. But we were determined to look on the bright side and take advantage of a day off from work for catching up on household chores as well as some more relaxing activities. Since we still have power, it seemed like a good day for a nice, hearty soup. So after a bit of brainstorming, I came up with a recipe for a potato chowder.

Unfortunately, I realized too late in the process to take pictures of this soup, but I can tell you the combination of spices and herbs give it a beautiful color, and a good depth of flavor. Here's the recipe if anyone wants to give a try.

Smoky Potato Broccoli Chowder

Time: 1.5 hrs

serves 5

1 lb. bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

1Tbsp chopped fresh garlic chives

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp crushed red pepper (use less or omit if you don't want spicy chowder)

2 cups chicken stock, divided

2 Tbsp. flour

1 10 oz. can condensed cream of potato soup

1 ½ cups milk (adjust for desired thickness)

1. Parboil diced potatoes for 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. While potatoes are cooking, crisp the bacon in two batches in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Transfer two tablespoons of drippings to medium saucepan. Discard remaining oil.
3. Add potatoes, broccoli, garlic chives, paprika, cumin, red pepper, plus ¼ cup of chicken stock to the pan used for the bacon. Cook over medium-low heat while making the sauce.
4. In the medium saucepan, heat bacon drippings over medium-low heat and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Once combined, slowly add in the remaining chicken stock whisking constantly to keep mixture smooth. Simmer for one minute to cook the flour. Then mix in the cream of potato soup and milk. Add bacon and bring back to a simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add this mixture to the potatoes. Simmer chowder for about 30 minutes, adding extra milk or chicken stock if thinner soup is desired. Serve with crackers or slices of crusty Italian bread.

Recipe inspired by Real Simple Smoky Corn Chowder.

Stephanie

Catching Up

 The past few months have been filled with travels to new places, projects around the house, time with family, and everyday routines...in short, life happened! Unfortunately, we haven't been taking time to blog about these things, but recently we've been inspired by the blogs of  some good friends and we're ready to dive back in!

Perhaps we should start by giving a quick recap of what we have been up to lately...

August saw us in Chincoteague, Virginia - our home away from home for the past 20 some years. Beach strolls, bird walks, wonderful food and sweet family time...the perfect retreat! September was our transition month from summer to fall. The first part of the month we headed south for one last trip to the coast - North Myrtle Beach. There were no crowds since schools were in session, less humidity than the high summertime, and the water was still very warm. One of the birding highlights was our very first sighting of a male Painted Bunting.

Painted Bunting, photo courtesy of Bill Hubick

Later in the month as the weather started to turn cooler, we felt the pull to get out and enjoy the changing seasons. We did some early Christmas shopping at the Makers' Market in southern Calvert County where various artisans set up booths filled with handmade jewelry, soaps, and woodcarvings in the middle of the beautiful Annmarie Sculpture Gardens. Then we detoured on the way home to explore Flag Ponds Nature Park in Lusby. This beautiful place of varied habitats is situated right on the Chesapeake Bay near the famous Calvert Cliffs. We found an excellent diversity of birds with everything from soaring bald eagles and osprey to the adorable least flycatchers and chickadees. Definitely a place to return to in any season.

More recently, we tried something new for our family - apple-picking. Oh, to get away from the city and drive through rolling hills and see horses in the pastures! The endless rows of apple trees heavy with fruit was a sight to see. We filled our bag with treasures and have been enjoying pies, tarts, sauces and turnovers for a couple of weeks now.

Staymen apple tree

One of the reasons I look forward to autumn, and October in particular, is probably because it is a celebration month for our family. My parents' anniversary, my mom's birthday and my own are all withing a few days of each other. This year we celebrated the birthdays in a different way. My mom and I treated one another to an afternoon tea at Reynold's Tavern in downtown Annapolis. I had experienced this myself for the first time recently thanks to a very generous friend and co-worker, and I knew immediately that this would be a perfect gift. The experience of drinking tea from exquisite teacups paired with melt-in-your-mouth pastries and sandwiches, all while seated in a beautifully restored 18th-century tavern was the perfect way to spend time together. But it was more than just a meal, it was taking a moment to celebrate a relationship. Our mother-daughter relationship has been blessed by God more than I could ever have dreamed, and I look forward to many more special "moments" we can celebrate together.

Teatime at Reynolds Tavern, Annapolis

Well, I think I have run out of both words and time for this post so I will say farewell until next time. One neat thing I should mention, however, is that even though it is late October and after 9 o'clock at night, as I sit typing this the windows are open to a lovely 70 degrees and the serenade of owls!

Stephanie

Meditation Monday

Hello again! We're still here...still breathing!

It has been quite a while since we've been able to post here, due to travels and computer issues. Even though were back home, the computer is still on the fritz, so I'm writing now from a different computer. I wanted to check in and let you all know what's been going since the last post.

The trip to see my grandmother went wonderfully, despite getting hit with heavy bands of rain from the Tropical Storm Beryl. The downpours gave us time inside together to visit, read, cook, and in general, slow down and relax. We definitely took advantage of the intermittent sunshine though to enjoy the fresh air and look for any birds crazy enough to hang around through all the rain. We found a few, including Mississippi Kite (a new one for us northerners) and family of Northern Parulas showing off their spring finery.

Since coming home, life has settled into a normal routine of keeping up with household chores, work, and enjoying being back in our home church. It's so refreshing and revitalizing to be worshiping with those we know and love, once more...to have your heart awakened again by the praising God in music...to have your soul convicted by the truth of God's word through the speakers. Personally, this last week showed me that I was getting my priorities off track and I needed to pull my focus away from life's daily chores and back to my Savior. My prayer now is one of thanks to the Lord for giving me yet another opportunity to do things His way. I have been reminded that I can trust Him in all things, for He is faithful.

Hopefully, your time recently has been filled with blessings to overflowing! Enjoy them and spread your joy to those around you.

Till next time,
Stephanie

On The Road Again

Yes, it's true! We 3 gals (plus some) are placing the last few things in the car and heading back out. This time we'll be spending a few precious days with a most precious lady . . . . my mom!

                                                                                                                                                                       

There's nothing like being with the one who gave you life.
See you tomorrow Mom : )

Virginia

Spring Birding in North Carolina

So...finally, we're getting around to posting about some of our spring birding adventures.

We'll start with our amazing vacation in the Lake Lure area of western North Carolina. For us coastal gals, a week spent exploring the mountains during migration season was a treat! Even though our final tally of 57 species wasn't stellar, we had several interesting encounters that I hope we won't soon forget.

Early in the week we visted Chimney Rock and climbed the stairs all the way to the top (and all the way back down!). Along the way we were serenaded constantly by Red-eyed Vireos and Black-throated Green Warblers. The Black-throated Green was a new life bird for both of us, and although we never actually got to see one, the song was unmistakable. My four-year-old niece even learned the song and kept singing "zoo-zee-zoo-zoo-zee" all the way along the trail. At the top of the rock, we had a great fly-by from a Peregrine Falcon.

In another part of the park, we were overwhelmed by the variety of bird songs surrounding us. It was like being on overload! But we could pick out a few that were distinct - like the Hooded Warbler (although we couldn't spot this one either).

Another day we traveled about an hour southwest of Lake Lure to Jackson Park, a county park just outside of Hendersonville. We had heard that this was a migration hot spot and ran into another birder shortly after arriving. He confirmed that it was indeed a great place to see lots of species since the park held a variety of habitats. However, he also said that the last week or so had been decidedly lack-luster. So even though we didn't rack up the number of warbler species expected, we were blessed to have some close-up time with a beautiful Northern Parula, several Indigo Buntings in brilliant plumage, and a couple of female Mallards with ducklings.

Northern Parula, photo by Bill Hubick

On a couple occasions, we took short walks around our vacation home's neighborhood to see if we could meet some of the "locals". A friendly flock of Cedar Waxwings, an excited pair of Palm Warblers, and many Eastern Bluebirds came out to welcome us. There were even the occasional gobbling Wild Turkeys adding their greetings in the distance. This sound was so unusual for us that we broke into giggles everytime we heard it.

Down by the lake shore one afternoon the first thing we noticed were the swallows zooming over the lake and even resting on the beach in small groups. To our surprise many of them were Northern Rough-winged Swallows hanging out with the familiar Barn Swallows. Then over in a nearby pine tree we saw a small bird foraging that turned out to be a beautiful Yellow-throated Warbler. After watching it for a while, our id was confirmed when it started singing.

Yellow-throated Warbler, photo by Bill Hubick

Across the road from the local grocery store (local being a 20 minute drive through windy mountainous backroads) was a well-maintained network of trails. We spent a few hours wandering around one day tracking down Hooded Warblers and getting startled by Wild Turkeys gobbling and crashing through the underbrush. We also got to hear a new bird for us, a Broad-winged Hawk. Finding the Hooded Warblers was probably the highlight of our trip. Such gorgeous creatures, just singing their hearts out!

Hooded Warbler, Photo by Bill Hubick

The night before we left we were serenaded by a distant Whip-poor-will. Then while we loaded everyone up in the car at 5am the next morning, a Chuck-wills-widow gave us a great send-off!

We'll try to post more later about our birding adventures in local areas.

Many thanks to Bill Hubick for graciously lending us some photos to illustrate our trip! For more see: www.billhubick.com/