Mary

Throughout my spiritual journey

I notice "Themes" God takes me through.

My current focus seems to be learning from Mary

and her relationship with Him.

Themes are not coincidences!

Not only am I due to give birth (again)

during Christmas season...

Not only am I teaching at a Catholic School

where there is much more talk about Mary...
Not only am I going to Mass every week
where many of the scripture readings deal with Mary...
Not only was it the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
just two weeks ago,
which focuses it's celebration on Mary...

Not only am I reading through the beginnings

of the gospel of Luke right now

due to our Pastor's current series on Luke...

Themes!

When I was at Biola we were required to take a comm class
so I enrolled in "Oral Interpretation"!
It sounded perfect for me, as it meant I could do the performance part
but wouldn't have to write my own speeches or
face the pressure of debating someone more quick-witted than I.

Oral Interpretation is where the performer
takes an excerpt of either a book, scripture or a script
and READS it, while engaging the audience
through frequent eye contact, dramatic voice,
and true "oral interpretation" of the meaning of the text.
(I personally think it should have to be
the required comm class for all education majors!)
The semester after I took that class
I was reading through Phillip Yancey's The Jesus I Never Knew
and I was drawn to underline several excerpts
as I could not help but envision
a Christmas season oral interpretation of these sections!

Fast forward 8 years...
to a few weeks ago,
when I heard we were starting to study Luke at church
and I got pretty excited.
Then I was cleaning out our bookshelves
(yes- I was NESTING!)
and happened upon all these underlined passages
in Yancey's book, and reread that whole section.
Then I was sitting in the pew
listening and learning about Zechariah and Elizabeth
and looking forward to the next section of Luke
when I saw it would directly correlate with
the underlined texts I had just been reading at home that week!

It seemed to all come together for me
and I felt a tug at my spirit, to ask Kirk if he thought there'd be room
in next week's sermon for me to do an oral interpretation.

Well, long story a lil' shorter,
I did do it,
and I got some feedback that it helped some people
internalize and really picture what some of Mary's circumstances
may have been like at that time.

So I wanted to share it with you.
FYI: The video takes a little while to load,
so open the webpage and let it sit for a few minutes...
It's six and a half minutes long.

Remember to view the video
you m ay need to visit the blog sitewww.hickles.blogspot.com

I encourage you,
if you haven't ever or haven't for a long time,
to read The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey!
I would like to reread it.
We'll see if this new season of parenting TWO allows for it.
ha!
Merry Christmas!

Happy Halloween! Homemade Costumes

Homemade Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head Costumes!

Mom's Banana Bread

The Christmas after I got engaged to my wonderful hubby...

My incredible mother

made me a recipe book

of recipes we grew up on!

And inside there are sometimes photos 

to go with the memories created by each recipe!

A HUGE gift!

Thanks Mom!!

One of my faves from this book

is my Mom's Banana Bread,

so I thought I'd put the recipe up here!

(Update: I've adapted the recipe

and made up my own Gluten Free, 

Dairy Free, Egg Free muffin version of this bread too)

Mom's Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream Together

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. oil

2 eggs

1 cup banana (or pumpkin)

Add and mix well with mixer

1 3/4 c. flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

Add

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Add

1/3 c. water

Mix well.

Put in greased loaf pan. Makes one loaf.

Bake 1 hour.

Photo Book of Year One Taylor

Click here to view this photo book larger

Slow Cooked Teriyaki Pork Chops

I am subscribed to a few recipe blogs.
Some are friends, others are blogs I've stumbled upon.

One that I've gotten a few ideas from
is known as the 365 Crockpot Lady.
She made a pact one year
that she'd use her crockpot every day of one year.
Well, now she doesn't use it every day,
but she certainly still uses it a ton.
Her recipes are all gluten free,
as her family eats gluten free only.
But, it's very easy to adapt a gluten free recipe
into a glutenous recipe! ha!

She certainly "overuses" her slow cooker,

as sometimes she makes stuff there

that would have been easier to make on the stove

or in the oven for goodness sakes!

But there are several that are yummy =).

So I adapted her Teriyaki and Apricot Porkchops

to my own liking...

Porkchops were mega on sale

I guess it was because of Labor Day or something?

And I think it'd be even better

if I had had green onions on hand

to throw into the mix!

Without further ado,

here's my own recipe for

Slow Cooked Teriyaki Porkchops

(italics for the diabetic version)

4 or 6 Thick Juicy Boneless Pork Chops
1/4 cup thick Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Chopped Garlic
2/3 cup Sugarfree Apricot Preserves
(Smuckers makes a good one)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
(I wanted this flavor
but was afraid to put too much
cuz it might toughen the slowcooked meat!)

In a small bowl,
mix all ingredients except the pork.
Mix well,
being sure to break up the preserves.
Place pork chops in the Crockpot.
Pour 2/3 of sauce over chops,
spread over tops.
Turn each chop over,
pour remaining sauce over tops.
Again, I think I would like to add green onions next time as well.

Cook, on LOW for 6-8 hours.
Enjoy with Asian inspired stirfry veggies
and brown rice (or white for those of you non carb counters!).
(if you were in more of a hurry,
the Crock Pot lady says you could
cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours)

** Bonus **
It really makes your house smell awesome!

Diabetic Cheesecake

So when it comes to being diabetic

there are a few things I just WISH for

but know that I can't indulge,

due to Baby and his growin' lil' body inside me.

There are days where this is not a difficult choice at all.

Still, at times, I crave something

and feel I need to satisfy the sweet tooth somehow!

When counting carbs (as diabetics do),

I think the biggest thing that surprises people

is that fruit is a BIG TIME carb!

One slice of melon is equivalent to 1/3 cup of pasta!

One small tangerine equals 1 cup of oatmeal!

Two tablespoons of raisins is the same as 3 cups of popcorn!

And apples and bananas are strictly forbidden,

as they have so much sugar and starch in them!

But there are a few fruits that are better...

Blueberries have quite a bit of fiber in them,

and therefore I can eat more of them for a serving of carbs!

So I decided to come up with a "dessert" that I could make

using splenda, limited carbs, and blueberries!

I was sitting in one of my doc's waiting rooms,

and picked up an old magazine (circa January I think)

and so I didin't feel as guilty

when I saw this ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese

that showed a cheesecake recipe that I thought I could adapt...

so I tore it out of the magazine...eek! Don't tell!

And I came up with this scrumptious treat

that I can eat, and it doesn't affect my blood sugar AT ALL!

I mean AT ALL!

So I'm gonna include the diabetic recipe here,

but I'll add the regular ingredients as well.

Diabetic will be in normal font, and regular in italics.

Diabetic Vanilla Mouse Cheesecake

adapted from spreadphilly.com's Philadelphia Vanillla Mouse Cheesecake

If making it regular, you'll make a wafer crust.

40 vanilla wafers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted.

Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom

of 9-inch springform pan.

If diabetic, skip the above *smile*

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease 12 cupcake tin cups

(or use cupcake liners)

Beat 1 and half pkg cream cheese

3/8 c. granulated Splenda (1/4 + a bit)

1/2 Tbsp vanilla with mixer until well blended.

Add 1 egg

Mix on low speed just until blended.

Fill cupcake cups NO MORE THAN HALF.

For regular cheesecake,

double cream cheese, use 3/4 c. sugar, and 3 eggs.

Pour over crust.

Bake for 17-20 minutes

or until barely brown on the top,

and mostly set in the middle.

They will "fall" a little in the middle,

which I thought was a perfect little "cup"

for spooning the blueberry mix when they've cooled.

For regular cheesecake

Bake 50-55 minutes,

run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake 

and cool completely in pan.

In sauce pan,

1/4 c. blueberries (reserve another 1/4 c. on the side)

1/4 c. "Splenda" juice (they sell it in the juice aisle,

but it doesn't have any real fruit in it-- it's glorified KoolAid)

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Splenda, granulated

Stir and let it warm up.

Smash blueberries using a potato masher.

Then in separate bowl stirl 1 and half Tbsp cornstarch

with 2 Tbsp more Splenda Juice and add to the sauce pan.

When thick, add other 1/4 c. blueberries, reserving 12 berries for topping.

(I think I would like to add some Lemon Juice and Zest next time, Mmm!)

Let cook until thick. Cool in pan.

The regular cheesecake recipe doesn't call for blueberries,

but you could always adapt the above to include regular sugar and juice...

Beat remaining 1/2 pkg cream cheese,

3 Tbsp Splenda (granulated)

1 tsp Vanilla with mixer.

Whisk in 1/2 c. whipped topping (sugar free)

(Again, I think I'd like to add a little Lemon Zest here!)

Put it into a piping bag.

Remove cupcakes from tin, place in coverable dish.

Spoon blueberry topping onto cooled cupcakes.

Pipe whipped topping over each cupcake.

Top with a blueberry and a litlte more Zest for fun.

Refrigerate, covered, for at least 4 hours.

For regular cheesecake,

Beat 1 pkg cream cheese,

1/4 c. Sugar

1 tsp vanilla with mixer.

Whisk in 1 c. (8 oz) whipped topping.

Spread over cooled cheesecake,

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Remove rim of pan before serving.

Garnish with berries if desired.

Enjoy!

For regular cheesecake,

Enjoy!

This was relatively cheap, SO yummy

and practically no carbs...

Salsita

We had an incredible time in Wisconsin,
visiting family and cousins.
One of our first days there
we got to take a lil' trip into Milwaukee
and watch the Brewer's Game
just us adults! What a gift!

The girls bonded so quickly
and spent so much time hanging out together!
Laura and I would sit back and try to picture the future
where they'll enjoy each other's company
and hang out, maybe paint each other's nails.

And on that note,
I'd like to post that I'm "copying" something my sis-n-law did =).
When we got there
she had a gallon bucket in the fridge
full of homemade salsa,
and we devoured over half of it
before the week was over.
I snuck a peek at the recipe
and couldn't believe how simple it seemed!
So, based on availability at our grocery store,
and my memory of her recipe,
and a few things that sounded good,
I have made us a huge batch of salsa!
YUM!

I wanted to post the recipe here
in case you'd like to give 'er a try,
but also so that I can find the recipe later,
when I wanna try to recreate =).

"Fresh" Homemade Refrigerated Salsa
1 can Rotel Tomatoes (I found lime juice/cilantro cans!)
1 can diced stewed tomatoes, no salt added
1 can Mexican Recipe S&W Stewed Tomatoes
1/4 c. cheapest med. salsa in the store (optional)
1 onion chopped (big or small chunks- to your liking)
pinch of sugar (or Splenda in my case)
sprig or two of chopped cilantro

I blended the S&W tomatoes, cuz they were halved,
but I left the diced Rotel and stewed tomatoes,
so as to have some "chunk" to put on the chips.
You totally don't have to add the med. salsa, if you prefer less heat.
Anyway, super delish, and so fresh tasting,
despite the fact that it almost all came from cans =).
Laura also says you can throw in a mango or pineapple
if you wanted to go for a sweet fruit salsa!
Thanks for letting me "copy cat" you, Laurita!

We-Are-Family

I put this other little video together
to celebrate the end of the year 2010.

I find myself so thankful for family.


Love and miss you!

Italian Roast Beef Sandwiches

This is a recipe I got from my mama
who got it from her friend, Carol Snell
down in Quito, now in Texas,
and I adapted it a little to turn up the flavor.
It was quite easy,
and the tri-tip roasts were MEGA on sale,
so I only paid $1.99 a pound for an almost three pounder
and it will serve us for at least three meals
(just to let you know-
I cut off about a pound of fat...
so you don't think we're each eating
1/2 a pound at each meal! haha!)

I served the shredded roast
on garlic toast rolls from a local, Mexican-run Panaderia
and almost felt like I was in Ecuador.
Almost.

To make the Garlic Toast:
Slice french rolls almost all the way in half.
Butter both sides.
Sprinkle generously with Garlic Powder.
Sprinkle with Dried Oregano.
Broil, open faced, until browned to your likeness.

I highly recommend, even if you use other bread,
that you toast the bread, because the meat is so juicy
that it soaks into fresh bread too quickly.

The Roast:
Trim any excess fat from the roast
(again- I used Tri-Tip, but any beef roast should work)

In small mixing bowl:
2 tsp Garlic Salt
2 tsp freeze-dried Basil (regular dried would work)
1 tsp freeze-dried Garlic (fresh minced would work)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp white sugar
Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix together with fingers.
Take pinches of herb/spice mixture,
and rub into all sides of the meat.
I had some very thick areas of meat,
so I made a few cuts into the meat,
and rubbed the mixture down into the cracks.

In Crock Pot:
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced thinly
1 Green Pepper, sliced thinly (I used yellow/red/green mixture)
2/3 cup Red Wine

Set rubbed roast into crockpot on top of veggies.
Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours.
Shred using a fork and tongs.
Serve on garlic toasted rolls
or with potatoes.

Another serving idea would be to melt
a slice of Provolone on top!!

Mmm!
Enjoy!

Taylor's Birthday

I've decided to first post this series of videos,
which we showed at Taylor's birthday party.
Mom, Dad, I have a DVD for you with this video on it.
So therapeutic to make it,
and think back to how much she's grown this year.

Enjoy!


Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the videoThat song is sung by Kathy and Gary Hickle
and written by one of Kathy's friends.
It's one of our favorite lullabies.



Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the video
Can you believe our little Bushel and a Peck girl
changed so much in just a few months?
From holding her head up
to rolling over,
From crawling
to standing everywhere.



Remember you may need to go to the site
to view the video.We love our Taylor Lee.
Happy Birthday!