Power Outages

After reading Kristen's blog, I was comforted to know that I'm not the only one who reports power outages. Jason always makes fun of me when I report them. He says that everybody is reporting them. My fear is that everyone is sitting at home thinking that everyone else has reported them and that the electric company is in the breakroom having coffee and donuts thinking all is well.

Summer Reading Recap

My 2008-2009 school year begins tomorrow. I'm actually not dreading this year as much as I have dreaded previous years because I really love the school where I teach and the faculty with whom I teach. (It always sounds really weird not ending a sentence with a preposition. It always sounds so formal.) Anyway....where was I AT? :)

Oh, yeah. I would like to recap my summer reading.

1. The Shack (I totally agree with this guy about this book. I had so many conflicting emotions throughout the book.)
2. Blue Like Jazz (I loved this book...every word)
3. Excerpts from The Gold Chord by Amy Carmichael (I've been reading this book for about a year. It is a great book, with amazing stories about her work in India.
4. Letters by a Modern Mystic... A challenging book about living with a constant, moment-by-moment, awareness of the presence of God.
5. Real Simple Magazine (May, June, and July 2008.....This is my favorite magazine!)
6. Runner's World Magazine (June, 2008... An inspiration to run further and faster)

New York Vacation Highlights

Here is a picture from our vacation to New York. One of the highlights was when Jason, Jodie and her niece, Casey, and I were driving along this little road and we turned and saw this site from the bridge above. We stopped and climbed down to it to get some pics. It is such an amazing feeling to feel the breeze as the water rolls off the rocks into the river below. I think probably one of my favorite things in nature is a waterfall. They absolutely make me feel alive inside.

Right around the corner from here is a wonderful bakery that makes the most amazing wood-fired artisan breads. They also make the most delicious scones and cookies. We bought a lemon-ginger scone, a cranberry-walnut scone, a chocolate chip cookie, and a loaf of sourdough bread. Mmmmmmm! It was all so good.

I'm a climber!

I went rock climbing today for the first time. It was a lot of fun. If you haven't tried it, you should.

Rosemary Chicken Skewers with Berry Sauce

Here is a recipe I found on the Simply Recipes site that I haven't had the time to try, but intend on making soon. One change I think I'll make is to use lime juice instead of white wine. I'm not too much a fan of white wine on grilled chicken.

Rosemary Chicken Skewers with Berry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients
For the chicken:

4-6 boneless chicken thighs or breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds), skin on or off
2 tablespoons of chopped, fresh rosemary
1/4 cup of dry white wine or vermouth
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
For the sauce:

1 3/4 cup of fresh or frozen blackberries or boysenberries
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of red currant jelly (or berry jam or jelly)
1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Method
1 Cut the chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Mix with the wine, oil, rosemary, and pepper. Cover and set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for one hour.

2 Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Thread the chicken onto skewers and season generously with salt.

3 Grilling Preheat the grill for direct high heat. Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Place chicken skewers on grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Place on a platter and cover with foil to allow the chicken to rest.

4To make the sauce, place the marinade and the berries in a sauce pan and simmer gently until the berries are soft. Press through a strainer and discard the pulp.

5 Return the juice and marinade mixture to the pan. Add the vinegar, jelly, and nutmeg and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered until it has reduced by about 1/3 to a light syrup-like consistency.

Plate the skewers and spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.

Back Scratchers

What is it about a seeing a back scratcher that makes your back start itching?