Yummy Easter Cookies Experiment

First of all, my ridiculous pets...they're so LAZY!
So, I made these cookies, which I make often because they are my favorite. But, I made them with this new icing/glaze stuff and it was FANTASTIC!!! So, I know they may sound weird, but trust me, they are AMAZING! Try them sometime...

Pepper Cookies

3 cups sifted white-whole wheat flour (I use the King Arthur I mentioned below in the blog, regular whole wheat is too heavy. White flour works, also.)
2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 cup softened butter
1 ½ cup sugar
1 large egg
Few drops of water


1. Mix together butter and spices; gradually blend in sugar. Beat in egg. Gradually add flour, sifted with baking powder. Add water drop by drop if necessary to make dough hold together. Chill dough for several hours.

2. Roll out dough on floured board and cut with cutters as desired; sprinkle with colored sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned. WATCH CAREFULLY. Cook and store air tight. Makes 5 to 7 dozen.


Icing

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. corn syrup
2 tbsp. water
10 drops food coloring

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix them until smooth.

2. I just chose blue food coloring, and then turned the cookies over, dipped them into the icing, and let them drip a little. Then, I set them right side up on a cooling rack to dry. It was very easy and the icing setup quickly. I also added some sprinkles. YUM!

Workout!

Hello! I am so excited about the warm weather and ready to get outside all the time, so I'm really trying to workout everyday. My dad wants to go hiking/camping down by Big Bend in a month or so, so I need to get in shape so my dad doesn't run circles around me (that's always embarassing). I also have another friend that wants to go camping and kayaking and I'm excited about that, too. I want to be doing stuff all summer outside, so I started taking walks with my puppy every morning before work. We'll see how long that lasts! Anyway, I haven't joined a gym yet since moving to Denton because I want to get in the habit first before wasting money on the gym and not going... So, if anyone wants to get outside and do fun stuff (tennis, walks, kayaking, swimming, hiking, gardening, anything), call me! I want to keep busy, and for now all I have on the schedule is cleaning out the garage and mowing the yard :(

My Favorite Things (for now at least)

I thought I would blog about my favorite things here lately. Some are kinda old and I've loved for forever, and some are new discoveries. I hope someone benefits from this a bit!

First off, Izze's. They are my all-time favorite drinks (clementine and pomegranate are my faves). Anyway, anytime I'm craving a coke or something, I just drink one of these guys. And they're just fruit juice and sparkeling water, super healthy! Dutch Coca Cola...oh man! This stuff is amazing, it's made with real sugar and real ingredients instead of crappy fake stuff, so it's AWESOME. They can be found here: http://www.thesodagallery.com/. This is a gallery downtown Dallas that Carissa has had art in before that also sells tons of types of sodas.
These crakers are made with 7 whole grains, but to me are better than Cheese Nips, YUM!
Soba noodles- So, I tried cooking italian food with these guys (usually used for Asian food) and it was amazing! They're made with buckwheat and whole wheat, but don't taste all thick and nutty like a lot of whole grains do. They're fantastic!
Ok, this stuff is increadible. I bought it to bake with and made cookies...it is not thick and whole wheat-tasting. So, whole wheat goodness with white flour taste, awesome! It's available at most grocery stores or at http://www.kingarthurflour.com/. And, the website has tons of mixes that are whole grain and taste fantastic!

Also, my new obsession is wellies (normally known as rainboots). I bought some for working in my garden and they are super fun! I'm ready for it to rain so that I can wear them out somewhere... http://www.target.com/gp/search/602-8684128-2470234?field-keywords=rain+boots&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1

Next, love http://www.lulu.com/. I published our family cookbook on there and it was great. They ended up super cheap to print and they store all the files online, so later you can add to them and re-print! Also, love our cookbook! It has all our favorite family recipes in it and has proved to be fantastic (if you would like one, they're $10, just let me know and I'll order one for you!).

Another favorite is http://www.spoonsisters.com/. It has all sorts of fun gifts and random gadgets on there. I love buying presents on that site! They have message beans, which have a greeting on them when they grow, too cute! Lots of other great things on there too, go check it out

So, since we started the vegetable garden this year, my mom showed me this great website that has all Heirloom seeds on it. It's called http://www.seedsavers.com/. They have all sorts of fun things on there like Purple Potatoes, Red Carrots with Yellow Insides, Ugly Tomatoes, etc. But, they're supposed to be the best produce anywhere and the seeds are pretty cheap!

So, I saved the best for last. My new favorite thing is http://www.etsy.com/. It is AMAZING. It's a huge website that sells things that are all handmade. It's like an ebay for great crafts, jewelry, clothes, pottery, etc. I am on that website now for hours at a time and completely in awe. I made a vow to buy all gifts from this website from now on, it's awesome! Also, my sister Carissa, is going to start selling some of her art on there at her own etsy shop at http://www.girning.etsy.com/. She's created the site, but has nothing for sale yet, so keep an eye out for things going up for sale in the near future.

Garden Update 1

We got the garden about 1/3 of the way planted yesterday and today! It's coming right along, but it was hard work to get the weeds and tree roots pulled up. Let's hope there's no freeze or more snow that kills everything.

Carissa planting okra seeds
More planting...
The tray of my seedlings and my pitch fork!
So far we've planted: Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, Chives, Spinach, Jalapenoes, Red/Yellow Onions, Soybeans, Carrots, and Okra

Seedlings, wellies, and dirty knees!
Me and my lovely gardening outfit
Wellies!

My puppy after her squirrel

Me and my cilantro plant
Basil

That's it so far, more updates to come as we get it totally planted and it starts to grow!

A Quoi Bon Faire?

So, Lisa asked me what the name of my blog means, and it occured to me that I should probably explain! Even if you do speak a little French, it doesn't translate word for word... So, A Quoi Bon Faire means: To What Good End? It's a phrase a French guy I work with uses to sign his emails. It just reminds me to stop and consider my actions and think "what good will come out of this?" So, it's my new favorite phrase...I think I need a tattoo of it, it'll be my next one. I just need to find a good tattoo shop and a little spending money :)

God is SO FUNNY sometimes

So, just a quick story.... my sister, Carissa was taking a nap the other day with my puppy dog, and she needed to wake up for work or something, but didn't set an alarm. So, she half-way woke up, rolled over, and prayed "God, please wake me up so I'll make it on time!" And when she rolled over, my dog farted in her face. BAAAA HA HA HA!!!! She just said "oh, very funny", but I betcha God laughed at that for a good 5 minutes. Moral of this story: don't pray for something you're not ready for!

Here Lately

So, I don't really know how to start or what to say, I just know that God wants me to share what he's been teaching me here lately, so here goes!

I always think that I'm doing too well right now...I should be struggling much more, having many more problems and hang-ups to be truly walking with God. If I am spending enough time with him and digging deep enough into my issues, I should be a wreck, right? But, apparently that's not the case. God doesn't need me to suffer to repair me and mold me, He might even make these lessons sweet and another reason to worship Him. What a crazy idea!

So more and more lately, I've realized that I have no self-control in the areas I'm trying to fix. I keep thinking, "why did I buy that? why did I eat that? why can't I workout more?", but God quickly showed me that I can't do much of anything on my own... and what I can do, it's only because God created me to do those things and knitted me together with abilities, etc. This revalation has helped me in so many ways...I pray much more frequently about the very small things I honestly think are too small to both God with. But realizing that he care about EVERY tiny aspect of my life has been increadible, too. And, when He helps me with the small things, it reveals just how big He truly is! The other day I was in church and had horrible allergies, and prayed that I could stop sneezing during worship so that I could concentrate...right as I was praying, a sneeze came on, but went away. Things that small are incredible! All you have to do is ask....wow.

So, now that I have learned to drop so much at His feet and seek His will in even the small aspects of my life, it has dramatically reduced my pride in myself. How can I have self-esteem when I realize that God runs even the smallest aspects of my life? What a humbling, but beautiful experience! So, I hope not to loose this lesson or to have it fade out when I find something else that needs work. I feel like I'm learning lessons constantly and have so many things I need to read about, work on, people I need to pray for, etc. that it's overwhelming!

I'm also having to learn a lot of patience, lately. There are so many decisions to make lately and now instead of thinking I know what's best, I've been praying about them all, but don't yet have a peace about what I should do. It's been hard to wait, but so much more re-assuring that when I do get an answer, it's the best thing for me.

I can't begin to fathom God's grace and love for me. That He's pleased in me...not punishing, not making me "earn" my way back into His good graces. I feel ashamed of my sin with that kind of acceptance and it's so hard to accept his instant grace, but it's so beautiful at the same time. I can't believe that not only is He thrilled to have me back, but he wants to be involved and direct every little, tiny aspect of my life and mold me into His likeness...man.

Pictures...

The Watts Ladies: Me, Mom, Carissa, and Kathryn

Art!

So, my sister Carissa is an artist and her art is up for sale at Texas Roast on 407 in Highland Village (it's in that new shopping center right by James Avery). Her paintings will be up for 3 months, so go check them out!!

Carissa at the opening
Some of her paintings for sale:

Snow!

So, we got a lot of snow in Denton, 7 inches!

Tree in the front yard...

Our little house!

Backyard....

So, I never thought I'd be that person that bought my dog clothes, but she got a haircut and was freezing and now is in LOVE with her sweater. I'll hold it up, and she runs over and sticks her head in it. Can't argue with that!

Me Lately

Hello all-

Ok, so updates on me... first, I'm sick! It appears that everytime I even get the sniffles, it turns into an Upper Respiratory Infection or Bronchitis, fun! So, I need to go to the doctor, but since I just moved here, I haven't found one yet :( I guess it's another run to the Minor Emergency Clinic for me. So, because of that, I have a ton to do this weekend and can't get it done, which is stressing me out a tad.

Also, in a couple of weeks, I'm starting a vegetable garden in my backyard! Since I now finally live in a house, I can't wait. There's an area for a garden already, but it's a little grown over, so I have to fork up the ground and pull weeds, but it won't be too bad. So, I started some seeds inside last night in a little greenhouse and when those come up, I'll have to transplant them outside. I'm really hoping it goes well! I always start gardening with great gusto, but then get lazy and everything dies...so I'm hoping for a different outcome this time! At least I got the seeds in, hopefully I'll feel better in time to plant everything outside.

So, I'm going to plant: corn, soybeans, tomatoes (3 types), basil, spinach, arugula, potatoes, carrots, thyme, chives and some flowers. Hopefully this summer I'll be overrun by veggies and need to give them away. Let me know if anyone wants any!

I'm getting all settled in my new house and thoroughly enjoying it. Working a home has been very nice, but a little lonely. I didn't realize how much seeing people at work really made me happy in San Antonio. So, I'm trying desperately to make friends and get busy. It's much better to see people socially than at work, anyway, so once I get involved with a good group of friends, things will be very good! I'm LOVING church at the Village, I know God wanted me to move here and go to that church, and it's very apparent why. God oozes from the people I go to church with and they are all so wonderful to spend time with.

Anyway, that's about it... as I'm home sick and just starting to blog, I'm posting a lot tonite! I guess it's probably going to be like my garden, start with a lot of momentum, but hopefully it won't wane off like usual.

1st Blog

Ok, so I thought I would try out this blog thing! I don't know if I'm going to have anything too interesting to say, but I thought it might be fun... So, I cook a lot and tonight I decided to try something new/healthy. I just went in the kitchen and made something... it's not that new or original, but it came out great, so I thought I'd share! Enjoy...



Baked Chicken Parmesan with Garlicky Soba Noodles

Chicken:
1 package chicken tenders
¾ cup Italian breadcrumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese (I use powdered kind as it adheres to chicken best)
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper
1 egg

Noodles:
1 package buckwheat soba noodles
2 tbsp. olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. heavy cream


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 9x13 pan. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk egg. Dip chicken strips in egg, then into breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat chicken completely. Put all chicken strips in 9x13 pan after coated and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.

2. Cook buckwheat soba noodles according to package directions. When done, strain and rinse with cold water. In pan, heat olive oil and add minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, but not browned. Add salt, pepper and cream. Cook until warmed. Add cooked soba noodles and toss until warmed through. Take off heat and sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

3. Serve noodles with chicken and fresh Parmesan cheese on top.