Yum!

So my friend Melanie has a great blog where she posts recipes that she's tried and love. I'm definitely not nearly the cook/baker she is, but when given the time, I can cook up something good. Anyways, I saw on her blog a quick and easy recipe for Baked Potato & Broccoli soup. It looked so good so I decided to give it a try. It really was super easy and very very delicious! It made quite a bit of soup, too, so I had plenty left over for lunch this week and some to freeze for meals later on, too. The recipe is below, but I found that you don't necessarily need to measure the potatoes or onions out precisely. I definitely had more than 3 cups potatoes and the onion I used was at least a medium size and it was perfect. Like Melanie's recipe I used frozen broccoli and it worked perfectly. I also used corn starch instead of flour, but after googling corn starch vs. flour I found that when you substitute corn starch, use 1/2 the amount. This Joy of Baking site is a great resource for substitutions.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¼ cup all-purpose flour (I substituted corn starch which worked well)

2 (14.5 oz) cans low sodium, fat-free chicken broth, divided

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (about 1.25 lbs)

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped (Using frozen broccoli was fine)

1 small onion, chopped

1 ¼ cups 2% reduced fat milk (I used skim)

1 (8 oz) block 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

2% reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (optional)

chopped green onions for topping (optional)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

Combine remaining chicken broth, potatoes, broccoli and onion in a Dutch oven (or large saucepan). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk & 8 oz. of freshly shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add salt & pepper to taste. Top each serving of soup with shredded cheese and green onions as desired.

**It is recommended to use fresh shredded cheese for creaminess and even melting.

Bittersweet

Tonight was a bittersweet night. I joined my small group at City Church nearly a year ago. About a month ago, we were told that our group is getting too large and needed to split. About 4 people split off then, but because of timing and location, we were still left with a rather large group. Tonight was our last meeting before our group split again--this time in half.

Quick background:
City Church is a PCA (Presbyterian Church in America) Church Plant in Orlando, Florida. The church is not a church with small groups, but a church made of small groups (City Groups). Nearly every person that attends City Church is connected to a Small group. Small groups meet around the city throughout the week to "multiply the gospel movement". My definition--we form a community that allows us to dig deeper into God's word and learn how to apply it to our lives. But we also spend time doing mission work together, praying together, and enjoying fellowship together. It's a great way for people new to the church (as I once was) to quickly and easily meet others and be immersed in a true gospel community. With that being said, the groups are expected to grow and then split and continue this pattern of multipication all over the city.

Continuing on:
When I first joined this small group almost a year ago the 20-some (yes, we are/were a large "small" group) were all very much strangers to me. I was nervous walking up to the Seneff's house and had no idea who was going to be there, but quickly these people have become like family to me. I think it would be fair to say that I have truly experienced authentic community with these people. I've shared joys and trials with all of them and in turn have learned their stories and begun to walk with them through life. It's become a staple in my weekly routine to show up at the Seneff's and be received with hugs and warm conversation and then spend an hour sitting among some of the most intelligent people I know pulling apart scripture and disecting what it is that God is trying to tell us. I've been able to ask questions that I've been longing to ask and my mind has been sparked into deep conversation by others as they battle through what it means to be a believer, follower, and child of Christ.

Tonight was bitter because I'll no longer be able to see some of these people on a regular basis. But at the same time, it's also very sweet. It's sweet because I know that ultimately we are growing the kingdom of God. We are dividing so that we can make room for more. We are welcoming the opportunity to bring others into our group, make them feel at home, and begin to walk beside them as they continue their journey in faith. I'm so excited to see the work that God is doing at City Church. I'm excited to get to know more believers and to see God redeem this city.

My prayer for this evening:

Thank you Lord for all of the amazing people at City Church who have opened their homes and their lives to me and helped me to experience love in The City Beautiful--they really have made this city more beautiful to me. And thank you for those who I will continue to journey with and continue to seek your Truth with. Please help us to surrender it all to you so that you may use our church, our small groups, and the people of City Church in a way that glorifies you and furthers your kingdom. I pray that we would be welcoming with arms wide open to those who are seeking You. Amen.

My Earth Day Vent

It's my blog, so I'm entitled to write whatever I please. So here is my frustration. I apologize ahead of time if it offends you.

Now, I would assume by now, that most people who read my blog know that I am a Christian. I love Jesus, I live to honor him, I recognize I'm a sinner and am totally in need of his Grace and Mercy, and I look forward to spending eternity with Him. With that in mind, it completely and utterly annoys me when I hear Christians (most often it's conservatives) speak of the environmental causes as a "liberal" thing. Sure, liberals may be the ones driving a lot of the green movement, but honestly conservatives, that's because you so often refuse to get involved!! Now let me also clarify something else. On the large spectrum of politics, I would likely classify myself further towards the Conservative side than the liberal side, so please don't think I'm a liberal trying to tear down the conservatives because that is certainly not the case. I just see it as this: If we, as Christians, are going to claim to be pro-life, then we need to quit making divisions on what we're pro-life about. If we are pro-life and claim to value God's creation, then value ALL OF IT. I'm not trying to say that a tree has the same feelings as an infant by any meanings, but I am saying that all of it was created by God and given to us to manage. We're doing a pretty poor job of managing all of it, wouldn't you say? And while I'm at it, if we're going to be pro-life, let's not just be pro-life about the unborn American babies, but also about the thousands of women and children and babies in the Middle East and Africa who are dying because of the lack of clean water and food, spread of disease, and of course, war. What are we doing in those cases? How are we being pro-life in those instances?

Okay, I'm ending my rant. It just frustrates me so much that so many conservative Christians refuse to value our Earth because "we're just here temporarily and Christ is going to return someday anyway." Well yes, this is true, but in the meantime, let's value what God has entrusted to us.

Thanks for listening. And please, feel free to share your thoughts, even if they disagree with mine. I'm always willing to listen and learn.

Happy Earth Day.

Love the Weekends

I'm looking forward to a fun weekend with friends.  My weekend went from having few plans to being jam-packed, but I'm not complaining.  Tomorrow night Ryan and I are running some errands/shopping.  Rachel and Rebekah are coming over late tomorrow night to spend the night because Saturday morning Ryan, Rachel, Rebekah and I are headed to Gainesville for the Orange & Blue Game!  And Rachel and I are hoping to squeeze in an early morning run around the Bubble.

Saturday night, Rachel, Rebekah, and I are going to see "17 Again" (don't mock us...I'm really excited to see it!!).  Sunday morning I get to go to church (I honestly love Sunday mornings and really look forward to church).  Sunday afternoon we're (about 13 of us) celebrating my birthday (YAY!!) by going to Urban Flats and then painting pottery!!! 

By Sunday night I'm certainly going to be ready to crash!!  But I'm soooo looking forward to the weekend.  I love time with my friends.

Plus--only 5 more weeks until my best friend is in town!!!!!  I CANNOT WAIT!!  I guess I better start figuring out some stuff to do.  Anyone have any non-Disney suggestions?  We want something to do on the Gulf (besides just laying on the beach).

The Quick Birthday Synopsis

I was planning on writing about my whole weekend, but I haven't had the motivation. So here's the quick synopsis. I was very excited to have my mom come visit me for my birthday/Easter. Unfortunately, I came down with one of the worst colds I've had since senior year of high school. No, really. My throat was aching Thursday night and most of Friday and I had very little voice on Friday (my birthday).

However, it was still a great weekend. Spent lots of time hanging out with my mom and having fun. I got a cute Vera Bradley purse from her and my roommate got me cute Vera Bradley flip flops and a towel. We saw a good movie, Sunshine Cleaning, on Saturday night. Sunday morning we went to Easter Worship at church which was absolutely beautiful and then enjoyed a nice boat ride in Winter Park.

Today, I headed back to work (after taking mom to the airport...two hours in the car this morning!!). And now I've spent the entire day coughing up a lung. Maybe I'm stuck with whooping cough the rest of my life? Let's hope not!!

Looking forward to this weekend for the Orange & Blue Game in Gainesville with Ryan, Rachel, and Rebekah and painting pottery on Sunday to celebrate my birthday with friends!

Okay, that's the synopsis. Thanks for reading.

Orlando Union Rescue Mission

I spent my Saturday morning hanging out with some pretty cool kids at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. The mission houses women and children who are going through a rough time and gives them the tools to get back on their feet. There is always a need for great organizations like this one, but especially in today's time, the need has grown stronger. The Rescue Mission is also Christ centered so not only are they receiving physical necessities like a warm place to sleep and food in their stomachs, but they are also being fed the everlasting Word, the true necessity. The Rescue Mission has worship, bible study, and more for both the women and the kids. This weekend was special, however. An organization based out of Texas called Spark Ministries had come to the Mission to host a 3 day Bible retreat for the women. What an awesome treat for them!!! I overheard how excited the women were about it and how some of them had looked forward to it for quite a while.

With the women at an all day retreat, that left all of their children needing care. The full time Staff members were on hand to help all weekend as well as some of the women from Spark Ministries, but with the amount of kids at the Mission, it just wasn't enough so City Church sent more volunteers. I opted to help out on Saturday morning and spent my time hanging with the toddlers in the nursery. It was certainly chaotic as there were about 20 kids ranging in ages 2 months to 5 years, with only 4-5 volunteers (sometimes as little as 3 of us), but it was also a very rewarding experience. I loved holding the 2 month old and having him cuddle up next to me. There were some adorable little girls too who were so timid! And, I even got the older boys to be excited about Beauty & the Beast and had half the room watching it at one point (not saying that I'm all for sticking kids in front of a tv to entertain them, but when you have that many and their running around the room like maniacs, you'll take tv!). Thinking about it now, I think one of my favorite parts was when I got 2 of the boys (about 5 years old) who were fighting a bit to shake hands and become buds. They smirked at me, shook each others hands, and then watched the movie pretty contently.

It was a pretty fun time but I definitely felt worn out at the end! I love kids and can't wait to have some of my own, but I'll take one at a time instead of 20 all at once, thanks. I'm excited to be able to spend more of my time down at the Rescue Mission. I think these kids are pouring into my life just as much as I am into theirs.

Anyway, if you're in the Orlando area and want a good cause to support, check it out. Give your money or give your time. Whatever you can give, the Mission certainly appreciates! I promise you'll be blessed by the experience.

The Stranger Next to You

More Felicity. So much I can identify with this show. Awkward moments I experienced in college. The longing for something a new city had to offer. A desire to be grown and independent, but all along feeling a little bit lost.

"I'm just saying you know, you can't know who that person is. That person who will become your ultimate confidant, your soulmate, or your lover. He may be someone you've had your eye on for years, or he might be that guy standing next to you in torn jeans buying some part for his motor cycle. Whoever it is, he starts off as a stranger, so it could be anyone."