Turn to me

Apricot Nut Bars

11/2 cups dried apricots

1/2 cup raw almonds, toasted

2 TBSP shredded coconut, toasted

Course Sea Salt

Pulse the apricots, almonds, 1 TBSP coconut flakes, and a pinch of sea salt  in a food processor until finely ground.  Place parchment paper in a 9X5 loaf pan and press the mixture firmly over the parchment paper.  Sprinkle then bars with the remaining almonds and coconut.  Refrigerate until firm, cut into bars and wrap individually for snacking. 


     "Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted."
                                                      - Psalm 25:16


     "What you promise when you are confirmed or baptized is not that you believe this forever.  What you promise when you are confirmed is that that is the story you will wrestle with forever."

                                                     - Laura Winner 

A small character

Honey Teriyaki Vegetables
Combine the following dressing and allow to sit:

1 TBSP honey
2 TBSP Teriyaki Sauce (Homemade: ketchup, rice vinegar, garlic, and a touch of brown sugar)
freshly ground pepper to taste

Add 2 tsp peanut oil in a wok and heat until hot.  Add 2 TBSP water and the following:

4 carrots, sliced diagonally
a bunch of scallions, halved crosswise
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup green beans or snowpeas, halved lengthwise
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted in a dry skillet (only add 1 tsp to the wok and save the rest for serving)

Stir fry the vegetables for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are heated through but still crisp.  Transfer to a warm serving dish.  Reduce the heat and add the dressing to the wok.  Pour over the vegetables and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  This is a wonderful dish to serve with crusty bread or a side of brown rice.

The small ways you can save water and prevent harmful pollutants

1. Instead of using toxic drain de-clogging agents, use this natural way to de-clog your drains.  Place equal parts vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water down the drain.  Let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Use your dishwasher's eco-setting mode, run fewer, fuller loads, and skip the pre-rinse.  For the rinse agent, try using vinegar.  

3.  Put a rain barrel below your gutter downspout and use this to water your flowers or garden.

4.  Boycott bottled water... 3 liters of water goes into making 1 liter of bottled drinking water.  Plus the plastic adds to landfills if not disposed properly.  

"I am not a saint.  I am, however, beginning to learn that I am a small character in a story that is always fundamentally about God. "

- Lauren Winner 

The pleasure of spring

Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

1 TBSP whole grain mustard

3 TBSP fresh lemon juice

3/4 tsp coarse sea salt

1 TBSP plus 1 tsp pure maple syrup

2 TBSP olive oil

8 ounces brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

6 kale leaves, stemmed and thinly sliced

1/3 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, toasted

1/4 cup dried goji berries, or dried cranberries

Stir together the mustard, lemon juice, salt, and syrup.  Whisk in the olive oil slowly.  In a bowl, toss together the brussels sprouts and kale.  Add the sunflower seeds, berries, and dressing.  Toss to coat.  I could not stop eating this.  It is tart and crunchy!

A Prayer in Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers today;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

     - Robert Frost

Another reason to go to church

Celery Root Salad

1.5 pounds untrimmed celery root (about 2 bulbs)
6 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 cup soy mayonnaise
1 TBSP drained minced capers
1 TBSP brine from capers
1 TBSP minced cornichons
1 TBSP brine from cornichons
2 TBSP dijon mustard
2 TBSP chopped parsley

     Trim the celery root and remove any rough spots.  Cut the bulb into 4 pieces, then shred in a food processor.  Place the celery in a bowl and allow to marinate with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper for one hour.  Meanwhile, whisk the mayo, capers, cornichons, brine, mustard and parsley in a separate bowl.

     After the celery has marinated, pour off the liquid and discard.  Pour the sauce over the celery and chill before serving.  This is a refined alternative to cole slaw and great with sandwiches.

      In the Sunday Washington Post is an article by a woman whose marriage had imploded, and who had just had a massive fight with her best friend.  She doesn't hold much truck with organized religion, but nonetheless, she says, "I was in dire need of people who would be nice to me for less than $125 an hour.  So off I went to church."
                                                                                 - Lauren F. Winner