We've got 200,000

MILES on the RAV! Now if only that were dollars and not miles... But at least we can be thankful that our little '97 red roller skate has saved us lots of dollars the past 5 years. For those of you who don't know, it was my (Laura) high school car. And thanks to my dad's passion for fixing his kids cars, he's practically a toyota expert, the RAV is still revved up to go. It will be a very sad post when the RAV kicks it. Got my eyes on the 7 seater Mazda 5 for the next Grant car or maybe a Toyota Matrix (both used of coarse), but that's going to be one big check I'd like to put off writing for at least another year... or more?

One pot, one week

I need to publish a retraction to my previous entry on morning coffee. If you are able to brew fresh coffee every day, which then having a Kurig or french press would be ideal, then a cup and saucer is a perfect thing. However, I've been extending the life of my 8 cup coffee pot by keeping it refrigerated in a carafe for up to a week. Microwaving little cups of coffee is not so fun. Going back to the big mug... and microwaving it 5x between now and dinner. Sad, but this monkey coffee picture I found was so great, it makes up for having to post a retraction.

Mediterranean Pizza

Made a whole slew of hummus recently, and since hummus + carrots only taste good for about a week before you never want to see a carrot again, applied it to pizza. Got this recipe from a dear designer friend years ago and if you've 15 extra minutes, it's great with DIY dough. If not, pillsbury makes a great pizza crust. I think the pillsbury crust may even taste better, flakyer, but hey. It was a big hit with bible buddy friends Katheryn and Audrey, so enjoy!

Easy Herb Pizza Crust
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1tsp white sugar
1 c. warm water
2.5 c. flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Herbs/Seasonings (I just grab whatever I already have):
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder (or dried onion)
.25 c. flour or corn meal for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 deg. In a small bowl or measuring cup, dissolve yeast into sugar + water. Let stand 10 min. till it gets frothy.

In large mixing bowl, mix flour, salt, oil and seasonings. Add yeast water and stir until doughy. Let stand about 5 min. (Or however the heck long you want).

Now's a good time to prep toppings:

Toppings
2 c. hummus (or more)
1 red pepper
1 egg plant sliced about 1/4 in thick
.5 red onion
Olive oil
Salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Slice up red pepper and egg plant. Toss in olive oil and salt and pepper. Layout on baking sheet to roast for 15 min. Flip them over halfway if your ambitious.

Spray oil on a cookie sheet and dust with flour or corn meal. Dust dough with flour or cornmeal too and spread dough out on cookie sheet. I cover the whole sheet with dough and just keep adding cornmeal so it doesn't stick to my fingers. Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes. Take out and top with hummus, egg plant, red pepper and red onion and bake another 20 minutes. Whalla!

Re-reading this sounds trickier than it is. Try it once and you'll be a homemade pizza master.

Morning coffee

is so much more enjoyable in a cup and saucer. Which if your a kitchen dish connoisseur like me, you have ample cups and saucers. Our Seattle friend, John and his wife Kara, recently came to visit and introduced me to the idea. During morning coffee, John grabbed four white coffee cups and saucers of my kitchen shelf and filled them with incredible steaming Seattle coffee. Tripp said, 'You really like those cups, huh?' To which John replied that he preferred the smaller cup which he could refill often with warm coffee. Brilliant. I'm converted.

I must also add, that I had a similar discussion with my fellow mom friend, Katheryn. When sipping room-temp coffee at 4pm, I commented that I had already microwaved that cup at least 2 times since the morning. These days with growing distractions, David, it can take a whole day to finish coffee! She laughed and totally agreed with me. Maybe all the more reason to enjoy coffee in a small cup and saucer.

Get you some pumpkin pancakes!

Calling all North Chicagoland livers! The whole month of November, Walker Brothers Pancake House, is offering their INCREDIBLE pumpkin pancakes %50 off which comes to $3.47. They also serve delicious Kona coffee with real cream. Grab your nearest breakfast buddy (although they serve breakfast all day) and get you some pumpkin pancakes!

DG4 3 Month Awards

David Ruff Grant IV has passed the 3 month mark and has been awarded the following:

Cleanest Sneaky Sea MonsterMost Loved GrandsonBest Derek Zoolander Impersonator, working on 'Blue Steel'Best Monkey Man Secret Agent, blending in with his surroundings#1 Bulls Fan (Just like Dad)

We're so proud of our little guy and couldn't be happier about these incredible accomplishments.

You never forget your first loaf

Inspired by the Homemade Mothering Blog (see blogging buddies on right), and this life altering non-dairy diet, I made my first loaf of bread! It was MUCH easier than my fear-of-yeast mindset had imagined. For the working woman, I'd suggest embarking on bread-making during a leisurely Sunday afternoon. Which makes me wonder... come February when I return to the grindstone, will I care to make bread ever again? Eh, maybe I'll be too busy posting then on ways to baby-proof a condo. Thank you to Emily Chastain for use of your loaf pans, sweet baby soothing, and invaluable company. Enjoy the recipe!

Pumpkin Spice Wheat Bread
3 1/2 cups warm water, 100 degrees to 110 degrees
3 tablespoons honey
2 packets active dry yeast
4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
4 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup flaxseed
2 tablespoons salt
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbst. clove
Canola oil

Combine warm water, honey, and yeast. Stir and let stand 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, whole-wheat flour, flaxseed, spices and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir or smash it together with your hands. Once fully combined, cover with kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 1.5 hrs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and brush two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with canola oil. Dive dough into two equal pieces and flatten out to ovals with hands. Roll the ovals up and place them seam side down into loaf pan. Let rise until they about double in size, 30-45 min. Rub the loaves with a little canola oil and then bake until deep golden brown, 50-60 min. If your not sure if bread it done, tap it and it will sound like a log. And enjoy! Spread butter and honey and you're in heaven.

Assignment #1 Inerrancy

I (Tripp) am working on an exchange
of theological research with my friend Derek, teaching English in Korea. Together, we're assigning each other the task of presenting well supported answers to popular theological questions. Answers are constrained by length and time. I present to you my Assignment #1 - Innerrancy.

Question:
How would you explain the importance of the doctrine of inerrancy to a new believer with little to no past experience with Christianity?

Answer:
To be certain, before even beginning to explain the importance of the doctrine of inerrancy, a new Christian must first and foremost understand the proper place that scripture must take in their life from that first step onward. It should first be explained that the Bible is our one ultimate source. It is the primary means by which Almighty God speaks to us today, and by which he has revealed Himself to humanity throughout the course of history. It is the basis for all Christian instruction and study. It is of supreme significance and value. With these truths established, one could then begin to explain the importance of how a Christian should approach the scriptures, how they should perceive its accuracy, and why it is something that they should be able to rely on for truth without variation. This is exactly what is addressed in the doctrine of inerrancy.

The doctrine of inerrancy in the most basic terms is this: “every word… proves true” (see 2 Sam 22:31, Prov 30:5). With this comes the assurance, and thus the confidence, that scripture is without error or contradiction. With this assurance, when a Christian reads the scriptures the questions “Is this true?” or “Did that really happen?” or “Is this a contradiction to this other passage?” are not asked. There is much faith, trust, and humility in accepting this approach to any book. We as humans would typically want for there to be room for us to critique, pick and choose, and debate any written set of instruction and ideas. This in itself is a good practice when approaching any work outside of the Bible. However, concerning the scriptures, a Christian must set these instincts aside, and submit to what it says in faith and humility as a whole and sufficient work from God Himself, that requires no additions, subtractions, or revisions from us.

However, it must be clear that there remains a healthy allowance to ask “How should this be interpreted?” or “What was the intent in this passage?” By no means does the doctrine of inerrancy state that everything within the scriptures is clear, or that it is easily understood, but simply that it is trustworthy in content.

Nonetheless, it should also be noted that there are many clear truths within the Bible of which there can be no doubt (i.e. that Jesus lived without sin, that we are sinful, or that Jesus will return), and we should be able to read it, and walk away knowing such ultimate truths with confidence. We can be certain of the accuracy of the Bible’s portrayal of past occurrences and/or it’s descriptions of current states, and we can have assurance that the promises and prophesies for future events will be fulfilled. This assurance is key and clearly biblical when all scripture is seen as God’s own words (2 Tim 3:16) and one considers that God does not (Titus 1:2) and actually cannot (Heb 6:18) lie.

The dangers of rejecting the idea that the Bible is without error are severe, and new Christians should understand these dangers as they consider how they should approach this matter. Firstly, it must be considered that if they allow room for themselves to accept the possibility of error in some points it would be difficult to determine where they ought to stop in this allowance. Very quickly one could find himself distrusting whole books, doctrines, or accounts of events within the scriptures. This is especially dangerous for new Christians who are approaching the Bible for wisdom and instruction for the first time. How could they expect to glean valuable insight from an “old book” riddled with error and contradiction?

Of course, there are many good articles, lectures, and books dedicated to this matter that explain exactly what is meant by this word “inerrancy” which seems quite difficult to swallow. However, ultimately, I would direct anyone’s attention to the Bible itself on this matter. As previously mentioned, it is the “ultimate source” and the “basis for all Christian instruction”, and as with any other matter in the life of a Christian, the Bible should have some insight as to how we should view this issue. There are a number of verses, some of which I have referenced here, found within both the Old and New Testaments that lead us to believe that Scriptures are truth, and that they should be seen as truth, with no room for error. While on the other hand, interestingly enough, there is not the slightest inkling throughout the whole of Scripture to support the idea that the Bible could have error. This seems like an overly simplistic and obvious statement to basically say that the Bible does not discredit itself, but it is an interesting point to consider for anyone who does read it as their ultimate resource and yet remains uncomfortable with the idea or terms of inerrancy.

Ultimately, the doctrine of inerrancy is important because the Bible itself is of supreme importance, and a Christian is called to place themselves humbly under all that it has to say, and to be faithful to it. This doctrine is something that every new Christian should understand and appreciate about God, and His commitment to leading His followers to greater wisdom and understanding concerning their condition, His ways, His story, and His promises to us.

Backing Up Song

I just want to be sure everyone's viewed this incredibly entertaining video:

AMAZING White Bean and Spinach Bruschetta

I had the recipe for White Bean Bruschetta and thought, this needs some green. So, added a handful of chopped up spinach to my magic bullet white bean spread and it was AMAZING! And might I add, dairy-free. I ended up dipping my bread back into the spread, but no guilty conscience since it's practically fat free. Go ahead, give it a try and tell yourself the white bean is really sour cream - you'll be easily convinced!

White Bean Spinach Bruscetta
Tuscan Bread
1 Can Cannellini Beans (drained)
1 1/4 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. onion (1 slice)
1 tsp. minced garlic (from jar!)
Hand full spinach chopped
Pinch of fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Cooked Bacon or Prosciutto

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor, or make sure onion and spinach are finely chopped and mash ingredients together. Spread on Tuscan or Italian bread and bake at 400 deg. for 15 minutes. Top with slices of cooked bacon or prosciutto and ENJOY!

Halloween Party & Pooper

This Halloween we took David's lead and dressed up as a family of black cats. Though our construction paper ears weren't up to par with David's velvet get up, at least mom and dad stayed awake for the party. Jon and Clair Lee (also expecting a baby Lee in April!) hosted the annual Halloween Party and dressed up as Olive Oil and Bruto. We were joined by Raychel, the roller derby queen, and even Tinkerbell made an appearance! However, it wasn't long before David the party animal became David the party pooper, literally.


For treats, we brought some dairy-free vanilla cupcakes and lychee/rasperry eyeballs!


Vanilla Cupcakes

2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/3 c. canola oil
3/4 c. almond milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla

Stir flour and other dry ingredients together. Add oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix on medium till blended. Fill prepared muffin tin with batter, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 375°F for about 15 min.
Chocolate Frosting
Mix a bunch of powder sugar, coco powder, 1 tsp. vanilla, almond milk, and salt to taste in bowl on medium until smooth. Frost!

Add a gummy worm and there you!
Lychee Raspberry Eyeballs
Shove raspberries into canned Lychee fruits. Delish, if you can stand the texture of peeled grapes.