December 5, 2017 By erin Leave a Comment

Cinnamon Rolls, Sirloin Beef Tips & Spinach Salad

Our weekend starts out with homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast and sirloin beef tips served with a spinach salad for dinner. All of these recipes called for something I didn’t expect so I was really surprised when I loved them so much. My family ate every bite of everything too, so that is a good sign! Each was relatively easy and easy to clean up!

Recipes below, hope you like them,

Guten Appetite!

Cinnamon Rolls: (I am going to explain the kneading process for those who may not have had this awesome experience before. It was not in the recipe.)

4 cups self-rising flour

1 package fast acting yeast

1 cup warm water

1 egg

1 Cp. yogurt (I chose to use vanilla because it just felt right. 🙂 )

1 cup sugar

1.4 cup cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 Cp. butter

1 tsp. salt

In a bowl, stir gently and dissolve yeast in the warm water and set aside for about 5 mins.

To yeast mixture add one cup of flour at a time. I used the paddle on my mixer but you could do this by hand. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. (This is SO fun and relaxing!) Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 hour. If the dough won’t rise in your house, but a large container of boiled water in the oven with your dough and leave them both in there. It will help it rise.

When you are ready to roll out the dough, In a large bowl mix yogurt, sugars, melted butter, vanilla, salt.

Take your dough out of the bowl, put onto a floured surface and punch it down. Knead for only a couple of minutes and then roll it out until you get it to stop shrinking back up- at about 1/8-1/4 of an inch of dough. Try to do it in as much of a rectangle as you can- Long and wide.

Spread the sugar mixture over the entire dough. Begin to roll up from the long side until you have a long tube of dough. Slice rolls with a non-serrated knife about 2 inches wide.

Carefully place in a lightly greased round pan. This recipe made a ton of dough so you can decide to make the entire batch or freeze half for later.

Bake 30 mins at 350 degrees.

Frosting:

1 1/2 Cps. powder sugar (which I learned you can make by blending sugar in your Vitamix or pro-level blender- who knew!?)

1 package cream-cheese – softened or room temp

1/2 Cp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all of these in a bowl and spread on hot rolls when they are ready to serve!

Now for dinner! Sirloin Tips and Spinach Salad:

4 Cps. beef – cut into stew size pieces (I did 1 inch X 1 inch)

2 TBS. vinegar (I used apple-cider-recipe didn’t state a type)

3 garlic cloves chopped (I used the jarred kind)

2-3 bay leaves

3 whole cloves

1 Cp. small boiler onions (peeled with ends removed)

1 Lrg. can of tomatoes

1 Cp. of Sherry Wine

Salt & Pepper to taste

Put everything into a dutch oven, stir and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, cover and turn to a simmer for an hour. (I opened my lid and kept it on for another 20 mins to cook down the sherry but that it just personal taste.)

Serve over wide noodles cooked in salted water.

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We served this amazing dish with the Spinach Salad recipe:

Mix together in a blender:

1/23 Cp. oil (not olive- it’s too strong)

1 TBLS. catsup/ketchup -for you young people 🙂

1/2 tsp. Worchestershire Sauce

3 TBLS. sugar

2 TBLS. cider vinegar

3-4 green onions –

Blend and then chill until ready to use.

Boil and chop 2-3 boiled eggs, fry and crumble 4-6 pieces of bacon, sliced mushrooms (we omitted because we don’t like them). Toss together and pour dressing over the salad. Toss and serve. Voila!

Sorry- I don’t have any pics of the salad because we literally ate every bite of it before I remembered to take pics! It was that good!

December 2, 2017 By erin 2 Comments

Nostalgia, Family Heirloom Recipes & Tamale Pie

This year has been a year of blessing for my family. My parents moved to Texas, from California, after being in the Golden State for over sixty years so that we can all be close together. They now live 18 minutes door to door from my home. My sister came back to Texas, from Maui (yes, everyone wants to know why but its Texas so we get it!) the year before. Now we are all close and can be together again. We have not lived together for over 20 years! My brother also joined us here in Texas and the brother to my brother-in-law just moved here from Michigan. Needless to say, we are making quite the historical migration in the Kincaid-Stahl-Hadley Clan.

During the time that my parents were preparing their lives to make that move, which took about two years from conception to actual drive the U-Haul across state lines date, my Grandfather passed away and left all of his many family treasures with my father. In that collection of items were the recipes from my Great Grandmother, Grandmother, and my own Mother- along with Great-Aunts, cousins twice removed and so forth and so forth. These recipes are the stuff of life- literally. The recipes fed my Grandfather, my dad and my siblings and I are now in my hands. They are such a treasure to behold and now I have the opportunity to teach my own son the flavors of our family.

As I go through these recipes, some written on scraps of paper, some typed from archaic typewriters and others handwritten on the classic recipe share-card, I am moved by the nostalgia of it all. Nostalgia is a wonderful gift given to us by God. The Bible tells us, “Taste and see what the Lord has done.” Taste and see. I feel as if I am walking down memory lane while tasting the stories, and the blessings of my kin and the nostalgia of it all is quite lovely. Not being one to hoard things, I have decided to make this into a collection for my siblings to have to share in their homes. That project is going to take a while to perfect so in the meantime, I thought I’d give you all a special gift from my heart this season.

All through December, my blog and podcast will be sprinkled with the perfected recipes of my family, for you to make for your family and friends. These are hearty, classic American meals that can be shared with everyone you know. I know you will love them and enjoy every bite, too! I cannot invite you all to my home to eat, though I would love having you here, so this is my way to share something I treasure with you.

Guten Appetite and Merry Christmas!

(Feel free to vary your recipes as you see fit! Send me any changes you do and I will make notes for my family. Thank you!)

Tamale Pie

Ingredients:

1 C. Chopped Onion

1 C. Choppped, seeded, green pepper

1 lb. Ground Beef

2 8 oz. cans seasoned tomato sauce

1 12 oz. can whole kernel corn- drained

1 C. black olives (I made mine without this)

1/4 cup minced garlic

1 tbs. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2-3 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 Cps. shredded cheddar cheese

dash of pepper

_____________________

Corn Meal Topper Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 Cps. Water

1 tbs. mayonnaise

Heat over to 375. (You can make this meal and cook it later as well.) Cook onion and pepper in oil or bacon grease until tender, add ground beef and next 8 ingredients. Simmer for 2-25 mins. until thick and cooked thoroughly. Mix ingredients periodically and make sure beef is crumbly. Add cheese and mix until melted through beef and veggies. Pour into a baking dish.

Cornmeal topper: pour corn meal and salt in hot water and then cook over med heat until thick. Add mayo and mix thoroughly. Spoon over the meat mixture and spread as evenly as possible.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Makes 6-8 large servings. I fed 8 people with leftovers.

Serve with heated black beans or green salad and salsa. I topped mine with avocado slices. This would be yummy topped with sour cream too.

November 4, 2017 By erin 1 Comment

The Real Way to Reach Your Goals

In my job, I work with people who want to affect change in their lives. As a counselor, I can point you toward thousands of articles, in which you can follow 10 steps to this and 7 steps to that. I can link you to blog and books and podcasts (which I am freakishly fond of) but I am going to let you in on a little secret.

There are just two steps to reaching and all goals.

Yes, 2. Zwei. Deux. Dos.

If you are truly ready to change your life, here you go. This one is on the house.

(Shameless plug alert – if you are still in need of a little assistance, you can always reach me for a virtual appt. at HigherHopesCounseling.com.)

Assuming you are wanting to move forward and not remain stuck let’s dive right in. No time like the present, right? First, envision your goal. Where are we going? To which harbor are we headed. I need you to close your eyes and see your goal, draw it out, write it out, speak it, whatever your style of getting it out there is- do it now. Do you want to lose weight, gain confidence, stop negative self-talk, walk away from an unhealthy relationship? Where ever we are going on this journey, I need you to envision it.

Now get yourself something on which you like to make lists and we are going to make two lists.

List #1- to meet your goal, what do you need to do MORE of?

Example – I want to move away from a friend who takes a lot from me and never gives in return.

So, on my list, I write:

I want to meet more new people,
I want to spend more time with my family and
find more classes or activities on my own, without this friend.

It is important that you give yourself real options and don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick two to three and make sure they are realistic. We have to move away from fictional thinking about our lives if we are going to see and be a part of real change.

Now, List #2 – make a short list of two to three things that you want to do LESS of.

On my list, I could write:

I want to call this friend less often,
I could make sure to go out with her less, and
I could design my week to have less friend time in general as I make time for the family instead.

Then, and here is the hard work, go do more and less. That is it. So it really isn’t that hard at all. Yes, there are other things we can do, but essentially this is the core of all change. Do more of what is good for you, less of what isn’t. When we are faced with changing our lifestyle and habits, trying to think through so many maneuvers can be very difficult. Focusing on my Less and More Technique puts you on the path to immediate change. These are changes to can feel right away, which makes the immediate gratification need in all of us very happy.

These baby, bite-sized nuggets will move you forward to tangible changes that you can see, feel and appreciate in your life. If you do them long enough, if you don’t cave to temptation or guilt, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to do. If you do experience a setback, then just re-apply your Less & More once you have picked yourself up and are ready to try again. Revisit your simple lists and get back on track.

I would really love to hear what you are trying to accomplish in this life of yours. Don’t be afraid to mail me or to comment below. We can be sending you light and love and surround you with prayers for the road. And as you progress, share your journey so that others that may need your inspiration can run alongside you!

Happy Changing!

November 4, 2017 By erin Leave a Comment

One Day in Austin

Who would ever think in the sea of red we’d find a little blue, liberal hub of activity and life and only steps from the bathed in red State Capitol? I am in Austin for a quick jaunt, then on to one of my favorite local hotspot (but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to read about that.) This is my homage to the Red and the Blue coats that reside in this part of Texas. If you visit these places while you’re here, you’ll leave with a sense of the energy of two different lifestyles that somehow, live side by side. And you’ll get an awesome look at the history of Austin. (wink wink)

If you have only one day and one night in Austin, these are the must-see, eat-at, visit items:

Rainey Street – an upscale version of 6th Street. Super artsy, fun vibe, lots of places to peruse, drink and dine.

6th Street. Yes, it IS the live music capital of the world and if you time it just right, you can stand on the sidewalk and hear about 28 different bands playing through open bar fronts all at the same time. The people are weird, but that is the whole point.

Moonshine– once the storefront, grocer, barns and carriage house of the oldest house in Austin and owned by a German family until 1966, now a very cool indoor-outdoor eatery. Get there before 6pm if you don’t want a 2-hour wait. Or reserve a table. Totally worth it if you do have to wait. You can hang under the veranda or in the carriage house and have an app and drink while you do. Try their signature moonshine – it tastes like liquid heaven dipped in real vanilla.

Texas State Capitol. I love architecture and history and the Texas State Capitol has both. Really cool place to visit. Make sure you see the Supreme Court and the session rooms for both the House and the Senate. There are tours you can take as well, or wander on your own. There are truly inspiring sculptures on the grounds, don’t miss the Civil War or the Black Heritage sculptures. They are moving. On the north-east corner of the grounds, there is a capital history museum that is actually quite interesting. Texas has had some ups and downs and the story of the capital is rolled into all of it.

Make sure you walk down Congress Ave. It’s full of shops, art galleries, a couple art museums (modern and historical), lots of lobbying buildings and government offices that are surprisingly very cool to see. Look out for all of the silver and black historical marker signs, I wear they are every few feet and they mark some really cool places.

Capitol Grill is a known hot spot to rub shoulders wearing men in button-downs and very serious looks. You can just feel laws being written while you are there. Great food, super easy walk since it is connected to the Capitol.

Pelon’s – a great eclectic Mexican place about 10 mins walking from the capital, across from Stubbs. This place is cool because you can dine on their front yard patio and listen to the live music at Stubbs for free! You can, of course, go to Stubbs after too and since its an Austin institution, if you have the energy for a fun night out, Stubbs is a great place to catch some great bands!

October 28, 2017 By erin 1 Comment

Why I’m not going to church this Sunday.

I am not going to tell you where I go to church, so that you can, possibly, see yourself in this post. I think it is important that you don’t know if I go to a small, or large, or perhaps a medium-sized church. I think if you know what the preaching and the music are like, then you might form an answer to my proposed dilemma before you hear me out. Here’s why:

Last Sunday, while at church with my son and his friend, as we were sitting in the back row, watching hands held high and truly amazing voices lead us in worship, I realized that if were to drop dead right there on the floor, they’d have to look at my wallet to find out who I was. (Yes, I am aware that in my scenario my son was there, but let’s pretend for my argument here, that he is not.)

I’d think your first inclination here would be to ask why I am not more involved so that others would know who I am? That is a good question. Well, missy, or sir, I am involved. I serve in the children’s nursery. I serve in the setting up of the service before anyone else has even had their coffee and the obligatory free donut. I tweet back and forth with the pastor’s wife regularly when I am moved by a section of the sermon and I even recognize some of the other congregants from around town. But, right there, in that moment, in that typical service, all eyes are on the performance at the front and no one has a clue who is standing beside them in the aisle- family excluded.

That bothered me deeply but it didn’t grow into the need for this post until I saw a disparaging difference of ministries. On that same Sunday, I headed down to the local community center to volunteer and low and behold, I was greeted by everyone in the building. They were so genuine with their welcomes and hellos, and, not one person had been assigned to be a greeter in the process. No one here was sent to a training on how to greet a fellow Christian as they came through the door. If I was to drop dead on that linoleum floor, they’d know exactly who to call and they’d be able to tell them my name without looking. Why is it different? I think it is because we view people differently when we view our work as a true mission field. When your work is about growing a group of people who are here to love and serve then we do our very best to make sure they are bonded and known. When the purpose is to create a series of activities and programs, our sight is lost on the agenda. We forget the hearts sitting in the pews.

“we view people differently when we view our work as a true mission field”

This has been my issue with church in America ever since we got back from the mission field. Everything here is prescribed, taught, trained and is a “function” of the service instead of a natural outpouring of love for the others that show up. I love going to church in Germany because there is always a coffee and cake time at the end of the service, it’s just a time to hang out and talk with those who came to service. Plus, I love coffee and baked good so it is truly a win-win. In the middle of the service, people bring “greetings” from the places they’ve traveled to and share prayer requests and praises with the congregation. Yes, it makes the service longer, but everyone knows who is who and where they’ve been and what they need and what they are praying for. Case in point, they know each other. I am part of our church’s prayer ministry. I get daily emails of who needs prayer. I love it. I love taking the needs of others to the altar of our Lord. Sadly, I have no idea who is in this ministry with me. Not a single soul. It is all online- email only. Once again, if I keeled over while reading that Betty-Jo needs prayer for an upcoming bunion removal operation, not a single soul in my church would know. There is something horribly wrong with that.

I am all about this new era a tech. I love having the world at my fingertips but the church cannot get lost in this see of 0000’s and 1111’s. I am convinced that if I stay home and watch my church on TV, I’d have the exact same experience as going to the actual building. I can also pray from my computer as I read the emailed list of needs. I can watch the sermon from my smartphone. I can even worship over the podcast.

Now, to those of you in ministry and the few others of you who still have one of those magical, mystical congregations where people know each other I say two things: thank your God for that, it is not the norm, and maybe, double check that everyone in the place is having that same experience as you. I know that there are some people in our church who fill a room and everyone knows them. I know that if you are on staff, that gives you a pass to being at the center of the service. But, what about those who serve and attend and are doing life right alongside the hundreds of other people in the same church that couldn’t utter my name to save their lives. Nor, could I, their’s.

Church leaders, I challenge you to stop the service for an entire five minutes (scandalous, I know) and let the people in the rows just talk to one another. Give them a question prompt or a funny sentence to finish when meeting new people. Let them get to know who they attend church with, every single Sunday.

Truth is, I don’t know many pastors out there that are willing to let the clock run on such an endeavor. I served in leadership and planning in plenty of stateside churches and I know that the idea of releasing the reigns is so ridiculously, preposterously scary for most preachers that what I am suggesting deserves a good old fashion burning at the stake for heresy.

Folks, we have lost touch with what worship is about. It is a time to focus on God and then in that natural outpouring of love and gratitude, we should turn to one another and share. Share our love, conversation, greetings, encouragement, hugs, handshakes, smiles and more. When no one knows the person next to them, it is impossible to do any of that. I seriously doubt that in the early church, they went into evening worship sessions in secreted homes and didn’t know the name of the brother or sister next to them.

So that’s it, then? You just throw up your hands and walk away?

No, probably not. I am a trooper and I will most likely find myself back in the same halls, serving and worshiping and trying to find a way to connect on a deeper level. I am not the type to give up. Though, I know that I will be disillusioned and probably feel that way until every activity that takes place on church grounds is not filled with planned activities and agendas and presentations. Sometimes, people just need space to grow in. In advertising, we are told, “don’t be afraid of the white space.” That means, sometimes you just let the story tell itself and not every inch of the space needs to be filled. In counseling, we are taught not be afraid of the silence. Sometimes, people need some fresh air and space filled with their own actions.

Maybe, in church, we need to go back to our roots and let the story of the congregation unfold? Maybe, we could let the people that are dedicated to the tithing and the serving and the giving be a part of the story as more than just attendees in the well-oiled presentation? Maybe, as leaders, let go of the reigns and leave the stage long enough to do more than shake people’s hands as they come in and leave the service? And maybe, just maybe, we can get rid of the greeter’s ministry altogether. What do you say to building up the natural response to what one should feel when another believer, or better yet a seeker, walks through the front door, or sits her and her family in the back row?

I say, let’s take a moment and see who they are, and let them do the same.