Yummy Comforts

When my sister and her husband traveled back from their honeymoon, they came bearing gifts (to our great joy). They gave me and Camille two handy, cute little cookbooks that they had found in one of the gift shops at the Biltmore Mansion. Mine is a book of bread pudding and dessert recipes (they know me so well!). Camille's book contains recipes that are sweetened solely with honey, maple syrup, or sorghum - definitely the perfect cookbook for her.

The recipe below is from the 'Honey' section of her book. I made it the other day when I was feeling domestic.... and hungry. It was amazing! So, if you have time, and feel inclined, try out this yummy honey loaf.

Gretchen

Honey-Nut Loaf Bread
(Quick Bread)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup honey
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat egg and honey with milk and vanilla. Stir in melted butter. Gradually stir liquid mixture into flour mixture. Fold in nuts. Place dough in a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake in 350 F. oven 35-40 minutes.

A Problem of Salad

I close the laptop screen and inwardly scream, "Gretchen, you lazy bum, get up and do something productive!" (I have found that such thoughts are the fruit of Summer drowsiness)

I look at the clock, and my horizons suddenly brighten. It is 11:15 - the perfect time to eat lunch! I get up from my chair and practically skip into the kitchen. "Camille! Come fix lunch with me and eat!" I shout with my head in the refrigerator.

Camille, with her head in the computer screen (doing something very productive, like writing her new blog) calls back, "I'll be there in a minute. I want to finish this first!"

"Oh," I think to myself, "Camille doesn't know what really matters in life. Poor girl. Poor, poor girl."

Despite myself, I had been affected by Camille's daily afternoon salad routine, and thus the spinach leaves are out in a jiffy. The following five to ten minutes are filled by a discussion like the following -

Gretchen - "Do we have any avocados?"

Camille - "Yeah. They should be in the bowl on the counter."

Gretchen - "Oh, I see them now."

A moment passes -

Gretchen - "Do you want avocado on yours?"

Camille - "Yes."

Gretchen - "Do you want me to make yours?"

Camille - "No."

Gretchen - "Why not?"

Camille - "I want it to be small."

........ WELL!!

Gretchen - "Alright. I'm leaving the stuff out for you."

Camille (very tranquil) - "Okay."

A few moments pass -

Gretchen - "The boiled egg is kind of blue, but it's still good. Do you want some?"

Camille - "Yeah, that's fine."

.......

Gretchen - "Do you want cranberries and almonds on yours?"

Camille - "Uh-huh."

As I continue my preparations, sounds of typing float from the Den. Poor Camille. I sprinkle feta cheese crumbles on the top of my salad. It looks amazing! I inwardly pat myself on the back - "Good job, Gretchen! You can make yourself a salad with no help! This is a great day!"

I poke my head into the refrigerator and proceed to knock jugs and cartons around, searching.

My muffled voice comes to Camille from the kitchen.

"Camille?"

"Yes?"

"Are we out of Briana's Bleu Cheese Dressing?"

"Yes."

The bomb has fallen. My hopes are dashed..... Without the dressing my salad is NOTHING!! MEANS NOTHING!! IS NOTHING!!! WHY!!!!!!

I shut the refrigerator - my heart in my shoes. "Camille?" I call plaintively... weakly, "What am I going to do?"

"There are other dressings in there."

No! She doesn't understand! What are Ranch, Thousand Island, or Italian to Briana's Bleu Cheese Dressing? What?

Camille calls again, "There is a recipe for Bleu Cheese Dressing in the Healthy Cookbook in the cabinet."

....It's not Briana's, but maybe I am saved.

Ten minutes later, I have a small bowl of ''salad dressing'' before me. It consists of - 1 C. plain yogurt, 1/2 C. buttermilk, 1/2 C. bleu cheese crumbles. I whisk, taste, and wrinkle my nose in disgust. I take it to Camille.

"Does this taste anything like bleu cheese dressing to you?" I ask her.

She tastes, and grimaces. "No! Not a bit!"

The dressing goes down the garbage disposal. The fruit flies are beginning to gather.... I am running out of time.... my salad is waiting.... WHAT AM I GOING TO DO??? If i was Camille I would put some hummus, or cream cheese spread on top to make the salad palatable, or just go with nothing at all. But am I Camille? NO! I will not stoop to such tactics! What is my last resort?

I sigh and open the fridge. It meets my eye................ Ranch. It calls to me in an eerie voice of salad dressing, "I am your last resort... do you want crunchy, dressing-less salad? Of course not! HA!" A wicked laugh drifts from the bottle, but there is no other choice........ I drizzle the creamy white stuff over my once beautiful, fresh salad, and sit down at the kitchen table to eat my previous glory.

Camille walks into the kitchen, "Will you read my new blog after lun...." She stops, staring at the filthy, attacked, mangled counter. "You didn't make mine?"

Gretchen

Happy Days At Home

I'm finding it slightly difficult to find subjects for my blogs. I really have nothing too spectacular to write about at the moment, but the poor Pocket Peridot is so empty and forlorn that I am determined to freshen its front page with something.... anything new. So, to whom it may concern, I'm going to write about................ well, actually, I don't know what I'm going to write about!

We've been at home for just a bit less than a week now, and, believe it or not, I've actually worked out a rhythm of day to day life. I do try and practice all the time that I need to on my violin and guitar - plus get my bookwork done; however, I usually end up getting the latter finished, and not the two former - and that's not even mentioning writing and drawing. Bleh! Between the lack of hours in the day, and my lack of self-discipline, I don't know how I can succeed in getting everything done. Ach! I'm hoping that there are at least a few people who feel the same way.

My little brother Jeremiah and I have been doing all our bookwork together of late. It is so much more enjoyable to work at something alongside another person . To his chagrin, he has still not achieved finishing a math lesson before me. Ha! Now just wait, because I said that, I'll eat his dust on Monday, and my lesson will be so hair-pullingly frustrating that I'll end it in tears. But wait! No tears can be shed over math while my cousin 'David Riley - Math Genius' is under the roof!

End of 'David Riley - Math Genius' Commercial -

Scene #1 - Pretty blonde girl drives away from high-school in sporty car - voice-over begins as she pulls out of parking lot - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for giving me the math education I've always dreamed of!

Scene #2 - Young man in graduation cap and gown smiles into camera - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for helping me through my darkest hours!"

Scene #3 - Show rich business man talking to employees and making important life decisions - voice-over begins as he stops for a moment, smiles, and picks up a picturesque family photo of his wife and children - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for showing me what really matters in life!"

Enough of my rambling! I bet I will get absolutely NO comment on this post. Thus I shall feel completely forlorn, and think, "Why do I keep up this stupid blog anyway? No one (except Camille - good, faithful Camille) even cares that its floating in cyberspace!"

Ha! Now, if you're reading this, you'll feel an inner tug to write something interesting in my comment box. Haha!!!! I have caught you!!!!!

Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

Gretchen Emily

My Top Ten Books of 2009

Despite my efforts to read 30 books this year, I have only achieved 26. Maybe next year I will reach my goal. Anyway, below is my list of the top ten books I've read this past year:

#1 - Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

This is, without a doubt, the best theological book I have ever read. Chesterton dives into pools of miraculous thought that had never even crossed my mind. You'll feel like you should read every chapter about ten times if you want to fully grasp the meaning of what he's writing. It is an amazing book, and a must read for everyone.

#2 - The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have no doubt that The Silmarillion is one of the most beautiful books ever written. It goes through the history of Middle Earth in gorgeous depth and detail. Most people complain that it is slow, and that they had a hard time not losing interest. I couldn't disagree more. The beautiful descriptions and stories that make up this historical fiction are profound and breathtaking. The book is studded throughout with gems of melancholy beauty and cool, pure grief. It is stunning, and worth many hours of your time.

#3 - Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The mood, feeling, and underlying current of suspense in this book is perfectly wound up in it's name, Bleak House. I believe that Dickens was at his height when he wrote this one. It is every bit as good as David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. If you don't read it you are missing out on a rare, thrilling treat. And don't see the movie before you read the book!

#4 - Knowing Christ Today by Dallas Willard

This book is brilliant. Willard argues against the current day trend of disregarding knowledge, and writes about how our relationship with God has to be thoroughly based in it. It is very much worth reading.

#5 - Four Faultless Felons by G.K. Chesterton

This is the most fun, fast-paced book I've read this year. It makes me thirst for more Chesterton. He winsome light and laughter has won my book-worm heart, and thus he is by far my favorite author. The wonderful thing is that I have only read four books by him thus far, and have an entire Chestertonian world just waiting for me.

#6 - Watership Down by Richard Adams

This is not the first time I've read Watership Down, and it just gets better and better. Richard Adams is a masterful writer, and this book has one of the best climaxes of all time. Who would have thought that one of the greatest books ever written would be about rabbits? That is just a tribute to Adams' incredible ability to bring vague worlds to vivid life.

#7 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I had known the story of Jane Eyre for a long time before reading the book. I tend to dislike reading books that I've already seen a movie adaptation of, but do not let your knowledge of the book's twist keep you from reading it. Jane Eyre is wonderfully thrilling, and the romance is second to none. The movie versions have not done it justice. It is Bronte's best book. (Do not read Villette)

#8 - Middlemarch by George Elliot

Middlemarch is a wonderful read. The love story is masterful, the characters are original; it is altogether brilliant.

#9 - The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

This book is amazing and beautiful. It is about a man in Hell who takes a train ride to Heaven, and other than that I will not try and tell you what it's about. Lewis has a soft touch in his books that sets you longing for paradise. But this one puts your longing a bit deeper, and closer to the heart.

#10 - The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

This book is just fabulous. The movie doesn't do it justice by half. It turned everything around to where there was not a tenth of the depth and underlying feeling and moral that make the book so moving and wonderful. It's an excellent work of classic literature, and every bit worth your time.

Here is the full list of the books I've read in 2009 -

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Christus Victor by Gustaf Aulen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

Four Faultless Felons by G.K. Chesterton

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Elliot

Adam Bede by George Elliot

Howards' End by E.M. Forster

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Tess of the D'Uberveilles by Thomas Hardy

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

The Wise Woman by George Macdonald

The Golden Key by George Macdonald

The Quest of the Fair Unknown by Gerald Morris

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

The Land by Mildred D. Taylor

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor

The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor

Leaf By Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Knowing Christ Today by Dallas Willard

The Calling of Dan Matthews by Harold Bell Wright

'A Woodland Scene With Deer' by Carl Fredrik Aagard

'Interior' by George Nicolaj Achen

Victory!

     It seems that the contest that began only about a week ago, has now ended. On the day that I wrote and posted my last blog, 'The Nazarene From Bethlehem', Benjamin failed to post his own. And thus, I have won the vicious, bloody cyber-space duel that started with so much gusto. 

     It's too bad that there is no reward for the winner of this mind tasking contest. A gift card to Barnes and Noble, or a Snickers bar, or an apple........... or a pencil........ or some fabric softener.......... Oh well, the very joy of beating my sibling in writing endurance is enough!

Gretchen