4: A long-delayed update

So, it’s been about two weeks since I wrote anything on here. Unfortunately, I have not had time to try any new recipes. I’ve been kept busy with starting my senior year of college, helping with freshman orientation, adjusting my schedule to fit work, work-study, class, and extra-curricular, beginning my job search, and taking my little sister to college. This busyness is the result of getting involved and active in my life; some might say I’ve been focusing on living instead of surviving. I have managed to do yoga most mornings this past week, been more social than usual, and have put a lot of effort into making sure I communicate with God. I cleared my desk and got my first fancy planner. I have even for the first time in my life scheduled my mornings and actually written out a list of goals.

1. Get to class 10 minutes early every day (still working on this one). I was once the eternally early person, and I want to get back to that.
2. Spend more time and effort on friends and be more socially consistent. Friends > a lazy night in watching TV, which is a tempting prospect for a commuter. I am making it a goal to spend more time on campus this year.
3. Get close to or maintain good relationships with at least 2 professors.

Over the summer, I know I should have updated some professors from my past and I know I had better do that this week. Maintaining professional connections is time-consuming and easy to forget, but remember it is essential.

The events of the summer, particularly leading on several freshman retreats, have re-energized me. I met some international students on retreat who had some fascinating things to say about how they view their countries and ours. It was an educational experience. July marked 1 year since the big move from Vermont to North Carolina. A year since I left my close church family, my familiar house, my best friends. I transplanted to a totally different culture in a state I had hardly ever previously set foot in, only driven through in passing to another destination. I think I have finally grown accustomed to living in this new state. As humans, we need to spend time not only singing songs, but truly worshipping God with our voices. Worship is especially powerful in a group. I was reminded of this fact on retreat, where we did vespers around the campfire. I cannot begin to express how beautiful it was to spend time simply talking about how God works in our lives and singing praise songs accompanied by guitar around a fire, in a rural setting, late into the night. There’s something uplifting about spending time in God’s nature actively reflecting on his power and awesomeness. Praise and prayer are essential components of our lives; they keep us energized and renew our hope. These are important functions as individuals and as fellowship within a group. I love my current little church, romantically tucked away on an almost-private drive, a building 100s of years old, scenic. The sermons are real and true, and the co creation is made up of sweet older people, which is wonderful. However, I need to make room for more energized worship as well. Though I am typically a more traditional person, I have decided to try out a new church this morning in an effort to spend more time worshipping with people my own age. If this one is solid, I’m certain I will form some sort of rotation between the two. Singing in the choir and being surrounded by a small group of people much wiser than me is an opportunity I don’t think I should abandon. I cannot seek to be entertained (a topic my wonderful college chaplain spoke about last Sunday), but energized and alive in my faith.

Current Jams

“How He Loves” by Jesus Culture

This is one of the songs we sag at Vespers on retreat.

“Set a Fire” by Will Reagan & United Pursuit

Jesus Culture also has a good version of this song.

I’ve also been listening to a decent amount of Broadway tunes, which is always nice. Brings back memories of my days as a resident before I transferred to a nee college down here in North Carolina.

TV & Movies

Danger Mouse

The Flash

“I will sing of loyal love and justice; I will sing praises to you, O Yahweh. I will give attention to the way of integrity…I will walk in the integrity of my heart…I will not set before my eyes any wicked thing.” ~Psalms 101:1-3 LEB

 

 

Recipes: 2

I had a few baking and cooking adventures this week, including gluten free biscuits, gluten free ginger nuts from a fellow blogger, some amazing pancakes, and buttery garlic mushrooms.

First off, these pancakes turned out splendidly from gluten free on a shoestring (see link above). I used Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour and left out the xanthan gum.

My next adventure of the week was with ginger nuts. I revised the recipe significantly, so it is really loosely based on the link in the intro. Here’s how they turned out:

This recipe uses grams to measure butter so I used an online conversion tool which called for 7 TB. Instead of maple syrup I used 1\2 TB agave and 1\2 blackstrap molasses and coconut milk instead of dairy milk. I used Country Crock margarine, so there was no need to soften it. I also threw in 1 tap vanilla extract. I’m just figuring out how to utilize photos on here so I didn’t take any photos of the intermediate steps.

For step 2, I just threw all the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients. I used 1\2 cup Pillsbury all purpose gf flour and 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill. I reduced the amount of ground ginger to 2 1\2 and used turbinado sugar. After stirring with a spoon and then working the dough with my hands to try to combine it, it was still rather dry. To remedy that, I added 1 TB butter and 1 TB honey. I set the oven at 350° fahrenheit , flattened the cookies with my hand rather than a fork, brushed them with water, and sprinkled them with turbinado sugar. They only took 10-12 minutes in the oven. These cookies have a very strong ginger flavor so you may want to reduce the amount further and maybe add some cinnamon. They’re quite yummy paired with some Polaner strawberry spreadable fruit. I tried putting a small  spoonful of it on a couple cookies a couple minutes before removing from the oven. This is a good revision. Instead of flattening, press your thumb into the center to create a well and fill with jam, like a cookie gem. These would also be good rolled in almonds or hazelnuts.

1 1/2 c. gf all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

4 TB coconut milk

8 TB margarine

1/4 c. turbinado sugar

2 1/2 TB ginger (or less, according to taste)

1 TB raw honey

1/2 TB each agave and blackstrap molasses

I haven’t tried this, but 2 TB of molasses may make for more of a gingerbread flavor.

Biscuits (American version) and mushrooms

I made these for my ma’s birthday. Link to the mushrooms is in the bio. I skipped the pepper and shallots, and used a splash of apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice and sliced mushrooms. I melted the margarine mixture in the microwave and poured it over the mushrooms and plopped them in the oven. Very fast and pair well with chicken and rice. We also had champagne and pie since it was a special occasion.

For the biscuits I simply made drop biscuits from Betty Crocker’s Cookbook using Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose flour and coconut milk. I baked them in a muffin tin. this cookbook is a staple in my family. The gingerbread cookie recipe is amazing!

 

 

2: Products, egg replacements and Mitford

This week I went on a freshman retreat as a leader and took the GRE, so it’s taken me a bit longer to post here than I had hoped.

Things I’ve Learned

I was reminded at the retreat there is nothing more beautiful than singing worship music with a group of people one’s own age.

Phantom electricity — unplug unused chargers and appliances. Saves money. Better for the environment.

Discoveries

Intellicast — This site provides really useful weather histories. Good info for moving.

Soft & Dri deodorant — An inexpensive aluminum free option.

Glassdoor — job search site with useful salary insights.

BP has a really good driver rewards program and their stations are all over. It’s a free program and you can save 1 cent a gallon for every $10 you spend. You can sign up here.

Colgate 2 in 1 toothpaste and mouthwash. This can be found at Dollar Tree. It comes in a plastic bottle instead of a tube so it’s recyclable.

Fish pose is the best yoga pose.

Big Lots — never know what you’ll find there. They often have well-priced gluten-free cereal, snacks, and baking ingredients. The coconut oil there is an amazing price.

100% cotton rounds — great for applying makeup, moisturizers, or astringent, and washing your face.

Vanilla extract makes a great perfume. Just water it down a bit and spray it in your hair. The scent stays better when it’s in your hair.

100% Aloe Vera gel — you can use this as a facial moisturizer, sunburn or bite soother, makeup remover, or frizz tamer. I always put this with my bb cream before applying it. Avoid your eyes.

Marshall’s and TJMaxx have good steak knives.

Mr. Fresh sandwich holders. Available for $1 at Dollar General.

Potato Express. Fast way to bake potatoes or soften them for chopping. You can purchase one at Walmart (which is always a last resort for me) or online.

Liquid Aminos are a fantastic replacement for soy sauce. it’s healthy and gluten-free. Tastes just like soy sauce.

Food

Egg replacements:

ground flaxseed — 1 TB flaxseed and 3 TB hot water per egg. Mix together. Keep        flaxseed in the fridge.

banana — one for each 1-2 eggs. Use in sweet recipes.

applesauce — about a TB per egg.

unflavored gelatin — directions.

you can also use water or milk if there are only  1-2 called for.

Country Crock margarine — Gluten-free and dairy-free

Corn pasta is the best gf option.

Popcorn — Popping kernels on the stovetop is the best method. Put a thin layer of oil on the bottom of the pan with 2 kernels of corn. Put the burner on to medium heat. When the kernels pop, add kernels enough to cover the bottom. Make sure the kernels are shiny with oil. Shake it occasionally.

Frozen mango chunks — cheap. Good source of vitamin C.

Goya adobe seasoning — this is great to throw on meat or breakfast potatoes when you’re not feeling very creative.

Always put less salt in recipes than called for.

I tried a new twist on the coconut flour pancakes from post 1 and found a fantastic coconut flour shortbread recipe, which I write about in Recipes: 1.

TV and Movies

Still enjoying season 1 of Pollack on Amazon

The Grinders when I feel like comedy. Unfortunately this comedy only had one season on Fox but Fred Savage and Rob Lowe are hilarious.

Watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The most fascinating thing about this film is seeing Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe work together. I love that Russell was a bombshell considering how tall she is and how normal her weight is. Diamonds are definitely not a girl’s best friend but it was an interesting film.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

Jane Eyre with Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. Best version hands down.

Current jams

Gollum’s Song and the entire LOTR soundtrack.

Michael Crawford

Andrew Lloyd Weber by the Orlando Pops Concert

Books

Found a quote I relate to in Milford this week. I find that I relate to Father Tim quite a bit.

” He was miserably disappointed in his own everlasting inability to get up and go, to take strong action and seize control, and do all the things that other people seemed able to do, and which the world admired so much.  There were times he felt the… trio was the most possible thing in life, and his heart would lift up and he’d begin to plan and read and even daydream about it. Then, suddenly, it seemed ridiculously impossible, a trivial pursuit on a world of so much suffering and pain.”  ~At Home in Milford by Jan Karen

 

“Whatever you do, accomplish it from the soul, as to the Lord, and not to people.” ~Colossians 3:23

1:Get involved, find cheap books, and get accustomed to my general format.

Hey y’all! I’d like to introduce the general layout I will be using for future posts so you can get an idea of what to expect.

Things I’ve Learned

Get involved! Whether it’s college, church, or community, everyone should get involved, engaged, and interactive with his or her surroundings. I have always been heavily involved with my church through volunteer opportunities. However, I failed to become involved in college the first half of my sojourn. This is in part because I disliked my former college and transferred last year. I still should have been more involved. Involvement can be daunting and scary, but you will regret it if you don’t exercise your time management skills, cast aside your worries, and just do something on campus! College communities are uniquely designed to be conducive to involvement, so take advantage of that.

Join a credit union. The loan rates are amazing and they tend to have reasonable policies regarding fees and minimum balances.

Amazon prime is a must, especially for college kids. Cheap rental books. Other good sources for college texts are Chegg, Abebooks, Ecampus, and half. Abebooks is probably the one I use most.

Sprint has the best pay-as-you-go cell plan. Only $35 a month and service is good.

Discoveries

So I didn’t discover this one this week, but it is worth including. Check out this YouTube channel: Blimey Cow. Messy Mondays and Jordan’s Messyges are classics. Also check out the other related channels like Jordan Taylor‘s (Check out his CD Long Drive). Their videos are always good for a laugh. They’ve been my company through some hard days throughout my college career.

Coconut flour pancakes

These taste good & are fast and easy to make. Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free. I made them with olive oil and topped them with strawberries and powdered sugar. This blogger also has decent coconut flour bread but it has to be refrigerated or it will go bad fast.

Coconut flour mug cakes

As you can tell, I’m into coconut flour! Hey, it was on sale and it’s a healthy gluten free (gf) flour. Again, super fast and easy to make. The chocolate one is amazing! I have yet to try the other two.

Food

Polaner spreadable fruit is amazing! Naturally sweetened jelly at an affordable price.

Aldi has amazing gf products. Also, overall the most inexpensive grocery store with quality merchandise.

Utz potato chips. I know they’re unhealthy! They’re only $1 a bag at Dollar Tree or General though and once in a while it’s ok. I am particularly fond of the Carolina Style Barbeque. Salt and Vinegar meets BBQ with a winning result.

Currently digging in Movies and TV

Poldark on Masterpiece PBS – season 2 premières September 25 at 8. Such a beautifully acted period drama. The on-location Cornwall scenery and the music is breathtaking. If that’s not enough the star is the gorgeous and exceptionally talented Irishman Aidan Turner. Season 1 is available to stream now on Amazon, free to prime members! And we all should be prime members. Free shipping and movies. Win-win.

Arrow – my most recently binged show. Just started season 4 and it’s a bit lackluster unfortunately. The spin-off, Legends of Tomorrow, I find much more entertaining.

Fringe, Reign, and Danger Mouse on Netflix. Danger Mouse (classic collection of course) is a cute and humorous British cartoon from the ’90s. The “good grief”- spewing, eye-patch wearing lead is quite funny with his adorable assistant Penfold. It’s only 10-12 minutes an episode. Hearing DM say Penfold in an English accent is worth it alone.

LOTR extended edition. Always. Right now selling for amazing prices on Amazon.

Currently reading

At Home in Mitford

Anna Karenina

Current jams

“Sunday Kind of Love” by Ella Fitzgerald – This one is my always jam. Love Ella!

Jo Stafford

Rosemary Clooney

The Hush Sound — really unique sound. Check them out on YouTube. One of my favorites is Lighthouse.

Skillet

Beecake – a band started by Billy Boyd. Get a taste here.

Jordan Taylor

The High Kings

Sia

I will end as ever with a bit of God’s wisdom:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”~1 Peter:6 NIV

 

 

 

 

The Reason Why

 

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not through works, so that no one can boast.” ~Ephesians 2:8-9 LEB

This blog will be about the lessons I learn and the observations I make in life. The title refers to my middle name, Grace. Grace is the most beautiful and important part of our lives. Primary topics will include life as a college student, wellness (esp. Yoga), Christianity and faith, living with allergies (recipes folks!), working retail to get through college, and culture. I was ultimately inspired to create this blog while pondering the commercialization of American culture, especially the sickening cosmetics and beauty industry.

I posted the following on social media:

elesablesgrace

There’s something that really bugs me: American men and women are owned by makeup. It’s an ugly joke that women look horrible without makeup. We wear so many masks, often to hide from others; a literal mask should not be one of them. And this whole “natural makeup” trend is a big lie. It is called make up. It is made up. The “natural look” is no makeup at all. Women who don’t wear makeup every day in large quantities are not hippies. We are not ugly, or bold. We’re honest. American culture is standardizing dangerous expectations for ourselves and others. Expectations for what a person’s body should look like, and their face. We live with no filter in the real world. There is a movement shunning “body shamers” but isn’t it more important that we’re honest about our faces first? We also must beware that we don’t discount the importance of physical fitness and healthy eating, because the obesity epidemic we have is ridiculous. But that’s a whole nother post. Maybe I’ll start a blog.

Well, here’s my blog. Let me add to my previous observations that going makeup-free is not only honest, but improves your skin health. 🙂 Useful bit of info: I use witch hazel, a natural astringent to wash my face and/or remove makeup when I wear it. Typically I just wear mascara. Witch hazel is not for the eye area though folks! But it’s a fantastic and economical product I recommend. Makes your face feel fresh, especially at the end of a hot day! That’s it for now. My plan is to blog once a week.