Bake with love

Mmmm. You all know I like to cook. LOVE it, really! (I don't care for the clean up part, but ahh whatever.)
I hope you like to play in the kitchen, too. If not, maybe some of the recipes I post will inspire you to give it a shot. I do have the philosophy that ANYBODY can cook. As long as you can read and taste food, you can make anything. It's just a matter of starting out with an open mind. You've gotta be willing to try new things!

I spent the entire summer before my senior year/21st birthday at my parent's house. For some reason, this is when I latched on to cooking. Now, I'd always grown up being in the kitchen with Mom, but never really did much to help or tried to learn. Anyway, so that summer I wasn't working and only took a 3 hour class, so I had lots of time during the week. I just got hooked and was making dinner for my parents practically every night. That's when I began to love it.

I come from a big family of wonderful cooks. Now they aren't gourmet chefs, but these women know how to make a fine meal! You should see our holiday spreads. My Grandma Bobo (short for Bollen) is especially known for her great dishes. She's never ever made anything I didn't like.

Ok, so, now I've given you a little back history and can tell you about my cookbook:

On my 21st birthday, I received probably the greatest gift I've ever been given. My Grandmother (and Papa Doc) had sent my present with my parents when they came to see me at college that weekend. I opened up 21 small boxes of Old World ornaments. My Bobo knew that I was beginning to collect them and she wanted to get me started. This was amazing!! Each one was prettier than the last.

But, the 22nd box did not have an ornament inside.
Instead, it contained a stack of handwritten recipes by Grandma Bobo, along with this note:


Oh my goodness, I just cried when I looked at them! I was overwhelmed!
She writes with slow, tedious care so I knew it had to take her a very long time.
I just cried to her on the phone thanking her over and over again. This was such a treasure!

So, from that day on, she has given me a few more recipes for each special occasion, holiday, etc.

There are so many great dishes here. Over 35 hand-written cards just from her!

You could just drool reading all of these deliciously southern recipes...

Each card also includes a sweet little note somewhere to make it personal.

At the bottom of the above card it says "Make this for people you love and love will be returned"




See in her note where she says "Keith likes this one..." How cute :)
When I flip through these pages, I'm reminded of how much she loves me, what it means to share a meal with family and friends, and that recipes can tell a story of your family.

When we got married, I also had some of my showers include blank recipe cards with the invitations. So, my red cookbook has recipes from lots of loved ones...

Aunt Maxine's Carrot Cake. I just love her handwritting, too!

Lauren's recipe for Corn Souffle

Quinten and Caleb were groomsmen and their cute mom gave me a recipe for their favorite banana pudding....how special :)


This little red cookbook means so much to me! I have many beautiful, purchased books and I do love those, too. But, when I flip through my book of everyone's 'favorites', my heart just smiles.

So, Grandma Bobo (I know you're out there reading this every blue moon), thank you, again, for the gift you gave me. It's truly priceless.
And thanks, also, for not minding the phone calls (like tonight) when I say, "How do I know when the chicken in this casserole is done!???" :)

Dental Prom!

Well, Dental Prom (officially known as GV Black Formal) was wicked awesome! We had a total blast with our friends. It was well worth the anticipation and excitement! I took 80+ pictures but I'll spare you from all of 'em. Here are some of the best ones:

About to head out to The Butcher Shop for dinner downtown. Keith's mom dropped us off! How awesome is that :)

Lauren Tucker and I. She and Chip get married on June 6th and we can't wait to celebrate in Oxford!!!!

The wives club: Julie Puryear, Tara Blockley, Kayla Sisco and myself (who's smile is out of control).

The party was held at The Daisy on Beale. It was a very neat place!!

There was a great band playing, too!

Keith and his classmates: Chip Trammel, Travis Sisco, Josh Blockley, Charles Puryear, Keith, and Matt Rickey.

The gals again.

Tara and I. Loved that yellow dress of hers!!
Mr Jones & Mr Sisco

Oh. This. Woman. Bless her heart.
She was not part of Dental Prom, but somehow she was there. And very drunk. She also stared at the girls in our group a lot. Interesting character!! Kayla strikes a pose with her!
Keith gets his groove on.

Mr Jones & Mr Sisco Take II. Nice face, Keith. A lot of our pictures involve Keith making some strange expression...

Happy to sit down for a second. We had been dancing A LOT by this point. I think our group were the first ones to hit the floor. We got the party started!!
Kayla, Julie and myself

The Sisco's get jiggy wit' it!

Smiling. Dancing. Smiling some more :)

I love you, my 1/4 Dentist!

Keith and his buddy, Miles.

Julie is rockin' that necklace! Looks good on ya, sister!

Smoochin' time. We took 4 before we got this one good one!

The cute Puryears! I love this pic of them :)

Kayla and I are exhausted from twirling each other around!

As you can see, it was fun night! I can't remember the last time I danced that much. My feet were swollen and in extreme pain by the time we all hobbled out of there. But, it was worth it.
I'm already looking forward to next year's shindig!

When the love spills over...

This song is beautiful. I've loved it since the first time I heard it. It was Easter 2003 at my church and it touched my heart in a very memorable way. Later that year when my brother passed away, I requested that it be sung at his funeral. I'll never forget closing my eyes and listening to it that day and somehow knowing that everything was going to be ok. It has always given me hope, comfort, and joy to hear this song. I do tear up a little each time! I hope you will take a second to play it...

Come to Jesus - Chris Rice

...I think I'm gonna start a weekly post to feature some of my favorite worship/christian songs. I have so many that I love!

Finally done

At last, I've hung my plate wall! I got out my hammer, nails, plate hangers, and kraft paper and went to work Sunday afternoon.

Before just hammering nails into the new wall, I had to map it out first. This turned out to be a good idea because I re-arranged those circles a few times until it was just right.

There it is! I'm so proud of my handiwork!

I love each plate, especially the orange bird on top :)

Now my guest room is pretty much complete! Come stay with us...

Vintage armoire stolen from my mom's house. Actually, she gave it willingly.

This is my birdcage mirror. Thank you, Hobby Lobby! One of my favorite stores...

I also heart these bird sconces. It's basically a bird themed room. I got a little carried away with the little chicks, I guess!

Anyway, the plate wall was surprisingly easy to hang. I did it all by myself :) Do you like it?

A full day of girl time

I spent Saturday with my Memphis 'besties', Kayla and Julie. We went to lunch and shopped around for cocktail dresses (for Friday). We started out not finding anything at the stores, but finally got lucky at Saddle Creek out in Germantown. It's probably a good thing I don't live close to this area because it's full of cute shops! We are all three going to be wearing black dresses. Of course, the classic little black dress, no fail!
We shopped for shoes, picked out 2 books that we're all going to read, and then headed to the grocery store to get the items we needed for our dinner. At my house, we all made the meal together. We had cheddar baked chicken, rice, a fruity salad with my favorite honey-pecan dressing and some white wine.

Just in time for dinner, our friend Tyler showed up! Her husband is an M1 (med student, first year, well technically he's now become and M2, but you get the idea). She's so sweet and I love having her around. Then came Tara, who's husband is in Keith's class and she lives in Marion, too. Finally, somebody living on this side of the river!! Tara, you need to start that blog so I can linky to your name!
We played in my embarrasingly large jewelry collection and I picked out some stuff for the girls to wear with their dresses. Then, we watched The Notebook together. A perfect chick flick! Oh...AND we made none other than "better than sex" cake (hey, I didn't name it). It was so delicious!! I'll post that recipe later in the week.
We had a really great time! We spent from noon to midnight together; it was wonderful. These girls are part of the reason why I'm so happy here in Memphis! :)

An inventory...

My friend, Becky, occasionally does one of these on her blog and I think it's neat.
I can be full of a thousand thoughts and emotions at one time. Maybe it's because I'm a woman and that tends to be our nature, but either way, I think sometimes it's healthy to just think about where you are and sort-of "take inventory"...

Right Now I Am:
Watching Keith study on the floor. Books and papers are everywhere; they're hard to wrangle. He seems to be having trouble focusing. There's been so many tests for him lately that I think it's hard studying for the 4th or 5th in a row...but he'll get into his groove tomorrow, I'm sure of it.


A Song Which Has Captured My Attention:
"I will rise" by Chris Tomlin. Beautiful, beautiful song. I love KLove radio :)
I listen to it in the mornings and it helps me start the day on a positive note. This song is the one stuck in my head. I don't mind one bit :)


A Great Story:
I heard this at church on Sunday; it's stayed with me since! So, I'll try to tell it as best I can.
There was a little boy that lived on a lake and he loved sailboats. So, one day he decided he was going to build a miniature boat of his own. He worked very hard on that little boat and his family was always asking why he spent so much time on it and when he'd ever be finished. After weeks and weeks, one day, his masterpiece was ready. It was absolutely amazing! The finest toy wooden sailboat ever made. So, he took it out on the water and tied it to a string. He watched it float beautifully along. He was pleased.
Then, suddenly, that delicate string broke and his sailboat drifted away from him.
His heart was broken. His precious boat was gone.
Months later, the boy was walking around town. He passed a pawn shop and saw his boat in the window! With so much excitement, he burst into the store and told his story to the shop owner. Of course, he didn't believe the boy made the boat. After all, it was the finest wooden boat made. The owner told the boy how much it would cost for him to buy it. It was far more than the little child had.
So, he did many chores and saved his money for a very long time. Finally, he walked proudly into the pawn shop and paid for his boat in full.
He took it home in his arms. He looked at the boat with love and said "You're extra special to me. Now, I have you twice. I've made you. And, I've bought you back."

And that is a beautiful picture of the love of God. We are made with his love and bought by his son. This made me tear up when I heard it on Easter. So sweet :)


I'm missing:
Our friends, Kelsey and Mat. Keith and I recently talked about how we haven't seen our married pals in so long. If our schedules allow, I'd love to plan a trip to see them in Dallas. The Hency's are just so cool....

I'm Relieved:
That I was able to pay off my credit card balance with some of our tax refund $. I had just one hill I had not gotten over after moving and getting things for our house. Being able to free us of that debt is a huge relief. I say that debt, because we have a very large other one (hello, dental student loans!). We'll get to that later. In the meantime, trying to be good stewards of what we have.


I'm Procrastinating:
...on a few things! One is taking my Easter decorations down. I put away the ones that were very obvious, but can't bring myself to remove one (or four) precious bunnies I have sitting around. I can't let them go just yet.


I Am Looking Forward To:
Saturday! I'll sleep in. I'll go shopping with my D1 wife friends. They're coming over that night and we'll cook together, share wine, and watch a movie while our husbands study away. This is going to be a great girls night in and I'm looking forward to it very much! We have the best time together :)


I'm excited about:
Next Friday is a dental school formal (yes, they have these, who knew?). A big group of us will go to dinner together and to the party. We've jokingly been referring to it as dental prom. But, truth be told, I think we're all really excited! I haven't danced in so long, it'll be a blast, I hope! That's what were shopping for this Saturday...something cute and fun to wear.


I'm discouraged about:
Some things at work have discouraged me a bit lately, but it's getting better and it's looking up. Despite the craziness and tough last week, I am very thankful for my job right now. The clients I work with are undergoing a transformation at their company, so I'm constantly hearing about their job losses, changes, etc. My heart is sad for them. It also makes me realize that no matter what kind of bad day I have, it would be far worse to loose this job I love so much.


I want to bake:
Something with strawberries. I'm thinking of my grandmother bobo's strawberry cake recipe! Maybe for our girl's night...


You may also want to know:
...probably nothing. I think I've shared enough for a while! Maybe this will keep everyone caught up 'til I recap the weekend on Sunday :)

Spruce Up Your Cauliflower

I know I don't eat enough veggies, even though I love them all. I tend to be a one-dish meal kind-of-a-cook during the weeknights. So, in honor of Keith's neuro anatomy test this week, I made the veggie that I used to call a brain as a kid! This recipe is courtesy of my mom, Jantastic:

(photo taken before steaming in microwave)

Spruced-up Cauliflower

click here for printer-friendly version

Wash and remove stems on a head of cauliflower
Place in a microwavable dish and pour 1/3 cup water around edges
Spread some mayo over the top
Sprinkle with one package of sugar substitute (i.e. sweet-n-low)
Sprinkle with dried onion flakes
Microwave, covered, 10 minutes

Looks gross and sounds real weird, but I could eat the whole thing by myself! Sorry, didn't take a picture after it was done. We started eating it right away :)

One Awesome Weekend!

Ahh, the joys of a three day weekend :) I just love Easter! Keith and I really had a great time over the past few days. So, I'll do my best to recap and share the highlights! This could get lengthy....watch out!

Thursday Night
Keith and I decided to wait until Friday morning to head to Little Rock so that we could hang out with our couple friends we've met here in Memphis, the Siscos and the Masters. We ate delish burgers and fries at the Majestic Grille in downtown. Afterwards, we headed to the Flying Saucer, one of our favorite spots. Little did we know, we were in for a treat!

Kayla on my left and Tyler on my right

My hubby and I enjoying this study-free night out!

Ok- now, on to the exciting part!! So, the boys noticed that 2 former NBA players were in the bar: Dan Majerle (Thunder Dan) and Bill Cartwright (former Bulls player). Though us girls didn't know these names or faces, it was obvious they were a "pretty big deal" seeing as how all the men around were pumped about meeting them, taking pictures, etc. Well, we heard that the Phoenix Suns were in town to play the Memphis Grizzlies over the weekend, and that these 2 retired players were on the coaching staff. Before we knew it, the entire Suns team (minus Shaq) showed up at the bar to hang out!! Everybody was ecstatic! Included in the bunch were Grant Hill, Steve Nash, Louis Amundson...and others I didn't recognize but all the dudes did.
Everybody wanted their pictures with them and we were hesitant to bother them, but Keith caught 'em as they stood outside before leaving and I got my picture with Steve Nash!!

I was excited because he was the player that I recognized and knew the most about. I was so pumped!! Of course, Keith tried to make small-talk about basketball and he just smiled and said "uh, yeah" as if to say "dude, leave me alone!". Oh well!
It was an exciting night to say the least!! AND come to find out, the Grizzlies BEAT the Suns- maybe cuz the key players were at the bar the night before? :)

Friday
We hit the road and headed to NLR. Keith immediately met up with his long-lost best man, Clint and Mom and I did some errand running. I got brand spankin' new brake pads on my car and that was SO exciting! I felt like a new woman driving it afterwards. It needed them bad! (ok, it's official, I've grown up when brake pads make me happy)
It was ALSO my Dad's birthday, so a group of family and friends headed out for sushi where we proceeded to stuff ourselves to the point of misery!

My dad, with his own best man, Dr. Steve Crow

Me and my fav, Aunt Kay!

Cutie parentals. Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Saturday
We got to enjoy some quality time with friends at the Arkansas Travelers game. It was much cooler than we were prepared for!

Whitney, Lauren and I.

Keith and his friend, Dusty. This could not get any cheesier!!

Sunday
He is risen!! Easter came this year with a flood of rain and a thundering sky, but that didn't stop us from having a wonderful day. Church was excellent this morning, full of wonderful songs and a great sermon from Craig. What made this service 'egg-stra' special was that Mary Catherine and her mother and sister were sitting with me. I hadn't seen her in months and it was such a blessing to worship with her right beside me. Afterwards, I had to get some pictures...

It made my day to see her sunny face!

Mary and I with our Jans and little Claire

Dad is sportin' his new shirt I got him for his b-day

Family photo!!

The Easter Bunny also visited us! Keith is holding his basket full of goodies.

My hubby got me a beautiful "J" picture frame to add to our living room...
... and I plan to put this picture in it!
We enjoyed delicious food at Aunt Kay's and then hit the road home in the pouring rain so that we could catch the end of the Masters.

Once we got home, we discovered a pleasant surpise was left for us by Keith's family! Ms Penny gave us an Easter basket and an empty egg crate of "Resurrection Eggs" (they tell the Easter story). Her note said to hunt around our house for the hidden eggs. She thought we'd like to have these one day when we have kids. We'll be able to tell them that we found them in our first home on our first Easter. How sweet!! She hid them really good...



Keith and I couldn't remember the last time we had to hunt for eggs, so this was SO fun to do together. It literally took us 30 minutes to find all dozen! This was so thoughtful and sweet- I'll treasure these little eggs!

All in all, it was a very blessed weekend surrounded by fun friends, loving family, and the remembrance of the greatest thing to ever happen on Earth- the resurrection of Jesus!

Happy Easter to all :)