Happy Things

Today Daryl and I begin our trek north to Wisconsin. Hooray! We are frantically packing and cleaning and showering and loading all of our clothing and Christmas presents into the car. But I thought I'd pause here for a list of happiness at the end of another long, hard season of finals. In no particular order, this is what I'm happy about today:

Happy Things

10. I have wonderful friends in Princeton who are watching our cats. This is huge. Eliot and Kenny will have fresh food, water, and litter, and someone to scratch them behind the ears now and then. This is the kind of thing I will really miss after I leave Princeton and move to some random Nashville neighborhood without 100 other seminary students...

9. I have finished my Christmas shopping! And it was really fun this year. When a budget is tight, and a person doesn't do much shopping, Christmas shopping is way fun. And I love giving presents. Love it.

8. Friend visits. We are on our way to see several good friends in Chicago on our drive up. While I'm always sad we can't see everyone (and we want to, all you Chicago peeps!), it's great to reconnect with those we love in our favorite city.

7. Chicago foods... Yes, we are hoping to stop at Los Burritos. Yes, that's the place where you can get a $4 burrito that's bigger than your head. Yes, Daryl can occasionally eat two of those. Yes, it's both disgusting and impressive.

6. Driving. I'm not a huge fan of driving, really. But when I've been a) separated from my husband for the past four months, and b) turned into a brain-dead zombie by my final exams, driving is great. We'll get a good chance to reconnect, listen to bad Christmas music on the radio (see my earlier post...), and eat gas-station candy. Love it.

5. I am DONE with finals. Praise God. Just... really. Praise God.

4. I am on my way to see my family! I haven't seen the whole family together in quite awhile. And my little niece Aleah is getting BIG and hilarious. And I miss my sisters. And my parents. And my grandparents. And home.

3. I am on my way to Wisconsin! I can't wait to be in Wisconsin. Can't wait. My soul can breathe better up there.

2. It's almost Christmas. 

1. It's almost CHRISTMAS!!! I'm super excited about this. I love Christmas. Love, love, love Christmas. Love it.

Merry early Christmas, friends! What are you happy about?

10 Books You Should Read (and can Borrow from Me!)

Now that I've put my textbooks on the shelf for the next few weeks (anyone interested in reading Hebrew commentaries? Anyone? I haaaave some for you!), my thoughts have turned to the place they usually do: NOW what do I read?

Daryl laughed at me yesterday when he found me on the couch with a new novel. I turned in my paper and, feeling a bit lost after all the pressure of finals, Rider, and prepping our apartment and cats for three weeks without me (don't worry, they have people checking in on them!), opened a book. Books have always been my comfort when I feel lost.

This morning, with nothing pressing, I'm in my pajamas, reading. Comedien Jim Gaffigan says that he would love to spend his life in bed. "I just had a bed day! Everyone wants one, but no one is quick to volunteer that information. 'Were you sick?' No, I was in heaven." Yeah, that's been my morning. And it's glorious.

So I got to thinking, what are the books that have really stuck with me during the past few years? What are ten books I would recommend to almost any friend, anytime, anywhere? Here are my current ten novels-I-love.

10. The Known World - Edward P. Jones

This one was a challenge, I'll admit. The "well, it won the Pulitzer, I might as well give it another page or two" kept me going. It's work to read, but it's worth it. Known is a really interesting account of a slave-owning African-American family in Virginia in the late 19th century. Did you know that there were African-Americans who owned slaves? Me neither. Jones's characters are rich and full, and his take on history is really interesting.

9. On Beauty - Zadie Smith

I love Zadie Smith. White Teeth is great, too, though I like this one a little bit more. I've heard she's completely cranky and ridiculous in interviews, which kind of makes me like her more. If I was a famous author, I would totally give myself permission to be eccentric and kooky (albeit brilliantly so) in public. It's a bit racy in places, so avoid it if that's not your thing.

8. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Every year I give my brother-in-law Jared my favorite novel of the year. Two years ago it was Gilead (see #2), and last year it was The Life of Pi. Once you get through the self-important first chapter (I am a highly educated man who thinks much of himself!), it becomes a fast-paced, exciting read with a surprising conclusion that will make you want to read the whole thing again right away. Kind of like Lost, but set in a boat with only a handful of characters.

7. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

Yes, John Irving kind of hates women. Yes, I have a problem with that. Yes, this is a fantastic book. No, it should never have been made into a movie.

6. The History of Love - Nicole Krauss

I just mailed this to my friend Inga (who is all the way over in Iraq right now - Hi, Inga!). I love this book. It's not as love-story-ish as the title makes it sound, yet it is about love. And life. And regret. And a really sweet old man who struggles with everyday life. Worth reading and keeping.

5. The Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler is an African-American science fiction writer (one of the first of her kind). I normally hate sci-fi, but this novel is simply set in the future. There are no aliens and nothing goes into space. This book turns ideas of power and responsibility on their heads, describes a west-coast apocalypse, and is all told from the perspective of a 17-year old girl. Dr. Pierce assigned this class for her "American Religion/American Literature course, and to her I say a hearty thanks. I'm secretly hoping that I get the sequel (The Parable of the Talents) in my stocking this Christmas...

4. The Namesake - Jhumpa Laihiri

Daryl's step-mom, Deborah, is a member of a really great book club. Sometimes I get the books when she's done (which I love, love, love). This was her most recent gifting to me. The Namesake follows the story of a young Indian-American boy named Gogol, his family's difficulties in assimilating to American life, and his own search for identity. It's a beautiful story about family, history, and finding the courage to be yourself. Also, as someone who had the last name "Belcher" (which always does raise some eyebrows when meeting new folks) up until three years ago, I loved Gogol's name-related questioning even more.

3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See

This is another book I gleaned from Deborah's kindness. Set in China, it follows a young girl's struggle with friendship, honesty, class, and identity. For anyone who has struggled with girl friendships (and really, who hasn't? fifth grade is rough), this is a great read. It also has a terrifying scene involving foot-binding, which I didn't know was so utterly horrific. It made me very, very thankful for my nice size-8's.

2. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

This novel is glorious. Set in Iowa, it follows an aging minister (John Ames), as he seeks to leave a legacy for his seven-year old son. It's one of the best expressions of Christianity in popular literature, and the novel moves at a pace that is slow and reflective but never boring. Reading this novel is like taking a trip out to the countryside during a mild and sunny summer. You can almost feel the breeze and smell the trees. This one never fails to refresh my soul.

1. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

Daryl says that I just like to say "Eugenides." That's true. Say it! It's fun. But besides the fact that he has a super-fun Greek name, Eugenides is an incredible author. Don't let the Oprah sticker throw you off (and besides, I read this one before Oprah put her sticker on it, which makes me feel proud to be ahead of the masses AND proves that the book is good ,not just mass-market good). If you're interested in questions of gender-identity, or just up for a suck-you-in story that covers over three generations (reminiscent of Steinbeck's East of Eden), this is a fantastic read. Even Daryl's about halfway through, and he's not big on reading novels.

I loved Middlesex so much I read Eugenides first award-winner, The Virgin Suicides, last year. A word of advice? Don't. The books couldn't be more different, and Suicides is just flat-out creepy and sad.

Honorable mention: My Friend Leonard - James Frey

Yes, I know. James Frey got in big trouble. But as someone who writes creative nonfiction herself, I say: WHO CARES? The man can write. And whether or not he added bits and pieces to his personal story of recovery matters much less than the fact that A Million Little Pieces was an incredible work of literature. I reread it almost every year, and I cry every time.

My Friend Leonard is the sequel to Little Pieces. It follows up on the relationship between Frey and his friend, gangster-boss and recovering addict Leonard. It ends with a conclusion I never saw coming.

On my Wish List:
2. The Parable of the Talents - Octavia Butler
1. Peace Like a River - Leif Enger

Anyone have a book to add (or hated one of the ones I listed)? What are your favorite reads from the past few years? What helps you to relax at the end of a tough season?

Thursday Recipes - Stir Fry Sauce

Hello, friends!

It is Thursday. Today is happy for many, many reasons.

1. I am in Nashville, with the man I love (and happen to be married to!).
2. I turned in my final, final paper at 6pm yesterday. Thus, finals season have ended for me, and I am free to be sleepy, brain-dead, and full of Christmas spirit. I can also read novels for FUN now, which is a great gift.
3. I turned in my final grades for Rider, and I'm done being a teacher until mid-January. This is a break I always look forward to with great anticipation. No more quizzes to grade, lessons to plan, or lectures to give. Allllll done.
4. Daryl turns in his final paper at 5pm today. After that, I get my husband back. Hallelujah.
5. I have pumpkin bread baking in the oven. Mmmmm. If it turns out, it'll be next week's GF recipe.

Asian food is a great way to go if you're dining with someone who is gluten-free. However, soy sauce usually contains wheat, and many other good Asian sauces contain soy sauce (teriyaki, for one). You can buy gluten-free soy sauce, but it's also pretty easy to make your own tasty stir-fry sauce. Below are the two favorites I've come up with lately. I love making sauces because they're pretty difficult to mess up, as long as you taste them along the way. Do they need more salt? More oil? More seasoning? Add it in!

Sweet Lemon Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce

1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 T. olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. roasted red pepper
1 t. ground ginger
1 T. corn starch

This is great with chicken, stir-fry veggies (I love carrots, snow peas, baby corn, and water chestnuts) and jasmine rice.

Hot Pepper Stir-Fry Sauce

2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. beef broth
1 t. cider vinegar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. hot pepper sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 T. corn starch

This is tasty with beef, onions, and red & green peppers, served over brown rice. Mmmmm.

Piano Dancing

Hello friends,

Well, two papers down and two more to finish up. There's beginning to be a light at the end of the tunnel, though it's quite faint.

So, for today, a simple video from my sister Cait to put a smile on your face. Nothing like music and exercise at the same time!

Bach on the Big Piano.

Thursday Recipes - Beware Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Mixes

Hello, friendly friends.

So, no recipe today. I'm 40 pages into my 70 pages of research-paper writing (and no, that's not one long paper - it'd be easier if it was), so blogging is not high on the ol' priority list.

Instead, a word of advice:

I went to the grocery store a few weeks ago and was thrilled to find Gluten-Free Betty Crocker baking mixes! Right by the regular cake and cookie mixes! They're pricey ($3.99 apiece here in Jersey, for mixes that make 12 cupcakes, a small pan of brownies, or 18 cookies), but I thought it'd be worth it to try them for convenience sake (as well as sanity's sake, as I bake like a madwoman when as I get stressed during school).

Results? Blech. My basic criteria for gluten-free baking is: Does it taste better than a Snickers? Snickers and Butterfinger bars are gluten-free, cheap, tasty, and satisfy my sweet tooth. No sense in baking if I'd rather just gnaw on a fun-size candy bar...

As for Betty's new line, I've tried the following three mixes:

Yellow cake. Just tried this one tonight. Even bought chocolate frosting to go with it (all Pillsbury frostings except the German Chocolate one are gluten-free!). This was by FAR the worst of the bunch. I didn't even finish one cupcake before I threw out the whole lot. They taste chemical-y (despite containing no chemicals) and like potato starch gone bad. Ick. Ick, ick, ick.

Brownies. These were pretty good when warm, though they had kind of a weird aftertaste. Unfortunately, they quickly turned into cute little brownie-rocks after they cooled. I had to chip them out of the pan to throw them out a couple of days later. The taste wasn't awful, but the texture could ruin all your fillings... Pamela's Brownie mix makes the best GF brownies I've had so far. These didn't compare.

Chocolate chip cookies. I have yet to find a good chocolate chip cookie recipe where the cookies don't A) fall apart, or B) taste like bad potato starch. These held together pretty well, and were quite tasty when fresh from the oven (I think I ate about four right away... they turned me into the gluten-free cookie monster). But as soon as they cooled, they tasted stale. And icky. And like bad potato starch.

So if you're really desperate and don't want to buy all the crazy gluten-free flours needed for baking (white rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, potato flour, xantham gum, etc., etc., etc.), the chocolate chip cookies will do, but eat them FAST. The brownies will do, too, but you have to eat the entire pan right away, which may not be a good use of resources (or waistline treatment...). Or make 1/4 of the batter at a time, and refrigerate or freeze the rest.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Joy

I've been thinking a lot about joy lately. During Daryl's first year of seminary he took a class taught by Ellen Charry on the theology of happiness. The course title brought smiles from a lot of people when it was mentioned, yet the course proved to be really rich and full.

During my time as a teaching assistant I spend many hours teaching seminary students how to read the Psalms aloud. There is such joy in the Psalms, and such honesty. I love that many of them turn from dark lament to the fullness of joy in only a verse or two. I love that they teach us that there is no emotion that is unacceptable to God, and that we can be honest before God in our pain, our frustration, our anger, and our joy.

Sometimes it takes students a long time before they're willing to read the Psalms with any emotion. They read "Praise the Lord in his sanctuary" the same as "I wish you would crush my enemies underfoot," quietly and blandly. Yet the Psalms are one important place in the Bible where we can put ourselves into the Psalmist's poetry. When have we wanted to praise? What does our joy sound like?

C. S. Lewis called joy a "very serious business," and I'll admit it's not always my deepest emotion. I can be quick to complain unless everything is going well.

I've had a nasty cold since last Friday, which makes me even quicker to complain. Yet yesterday was a great day, despite my cold. I gave a class presentation that (I think) went really well, I had some great classes, and at the end of the day, my friend Brandi brought over a warm loaf of gluten-free bread that she baked to help me feel better. My day was full of joy, yet my body was achy and sick. The incongruousness of my physical feeling with my emotional high made me stop and think. So often how much joy I feel is dependent upon external factors all working out for the best. Yet, I felt awful, but I felt good. Maybe this is what joy really is. Not external happiness because all is well, but a deep and abiding sense that God is God and we are loved and, as Julian of Norwich is famous for saying, "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well." In this, there is joy.

My course on the interpretation of Job is coming to an end, and during today's lecture the professor was asked if there is any hint of a "happy ending" at the end of Job's difficult and dramatic book. He responded simply, "At the end there is no longer a simplistic faith, but a simple affirmation of God." After all Job has been through he has no easy answers, and God doesn't give him any easy ones. Yet God is God, and Job is able to rest after he learns this. Even Job finds a hint of joy.

For more ponderings on joy, here's a great editorial from Christianity Today.

I especially love their conclusion that "We do well to recall how the incarnate God began his ministry among us. He never relented from the message that, though life comes only by way of death, life really is the point." Discipline is important. Obedience is vital. Turning from sin can't be forgotten. But life is really the point. That's why the Gospel is good news.

Amen. And Merry Christmas.

 (Images borrowed from here and here.)

Sunday Poems - Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends"

I've always loved this poem. It's great for kids, and I was a kid when I started to love it. Then I took a class during my first year of college called "The Performance of Literature." The professor - the eccentric and theatrical Dave Reifsnyder - had me read it to another student like that student was my dying husband. It gave the poem a whole new meaning.

This poem came to mind sometimes during my summer hospital chaplaincy, when I was standing at the bedside of a dying patient or in the waiting room with their grieving family.


Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson-bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Princeton's First Snow

It snowed today! Just a little, and none of it stuck, but for a girl from Wisconsin, December 5 is quite a long time to wait for snow, and even a little bit was quite welcome.

I have picked up a nasty cold somewhere, so my day was spent on the couch watching several Harry Potter movies. Thanks, ABCFamily! I also brainstormed some Christmas present ideas. After planning to make people presents this year, and then falling far behind in my sewing and crafting (come to think of it, that whole idea was pretty overambitious...), I'm now planning my shopping trips instead. It's all for the best, I suppose.

Anyone have any good homemade present ideas? Has anyone received a homemade gift they really loved? Over the past few years I've gotten some really great earrings from my sisters and some adorable potholders from my friend Tonia. And then there are the yearly "shiny pants" pajamas my mom makes for all of us (even the sons-in-law! gotta love that!). I love handmade stuff.

There are some great ideas over at the DIY section of Design Sponge (the link is over there to the right), if you have the time and the inclination.


Okay, off to bed to try to kill off this cold...

It's not even a game!

There will be a lot of short posts with funny links this week. Finals, and their connected insanity, are upon me for the next two weeks, and that's about all I've got in me...

Today, in honor of Daryl and to make you laugh, take a moment to remember that it's not even a game, it's just practice.

God bless uninhibited athletes and their ability to just say whatever.

Thursday Recipes - Irish Potato Chowder

Happy Thursday! Today's recipe is a modified version of my all-time favorite soup. In the world. That my dad always made in a giant, silver soup pot, and served to my family on cold, snowy winter days. Sigh. Yes, I am feeling nostalgic about soup that I will probably be eating in two and a half weeks when I'm home...

Finals season makes me crazy. I stay up all night, eat odd things at odd hours, start cleaning things I normally don't clean ("Gosh, it's really dusty under the bed!"), and start developing a twitchy-eyed, glassy, thousand-yard stare. Luckily, Daryl finds this whole thing endearing, though this year he'll only get to hear about it from a distance. The only thing that helps me through is remembering that none of this is permanent, and that I'm two (count them! TWO!) finals seasons away from graduating. And never having to do this again. Woot.

Anyway, this is a modified, gluten-free version of the recipe from his Ovens of Brittany cookbook. Ovens of Brittany is a really popular restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. If you like good wintry food, this cookbook is a winner. So good. So, so good. And if you're not anti-gluten, eat it with a giant loaf of warm bread. If you're not so much with the gluten, well... then just eat it. It's so good you may not miss the bread.

This soup has the added benefit of being meat-free, which makes it nice and affordable if you have some of the spices already on hand. Don't skip the hot pepper sauce - it makes a huge difference!

Irish Potato Chowder

To make roux:
5 1/2 Tbs butter
8 Tbs rice or potato flour (you can use 7 Tbs of regular flour if you're not gluten-intolerant)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Mix in flour and cook over low heat for a 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

For soup:
1 1/2 T. butter
1 chopped white onion
1 1/2 c. chopped carrots (I like bigger pieces, like half the size of a baby carrot)
1 1/2 c. chopped celery (same)
1 t. basil
1 t. parsley
1 t. dried chives
4-5 c. vegetable or chicken stock (make sure this is gluten-free - lots of broth brands contain gluten)
5 c. peeled, diced potatoes
3 c. milk (the higher the percentage, the creamier the soup - I use skim and it's still tasty)
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
salt and white pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large soup pot; add onions, carrots, celery, basil, parsley and chives; cook about 10 minutes.

Add stock and potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes).

Stir in milk; return to simmer and whisk in roux until liquid is thickened and smooth. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add sour cream, hot pepper sauce, and salt and white pepper.

Because it's Finals Season...

Three things to make you laugh:

1. The sneezing panda: here.

2. The Wagnerian lemur: here.

3. And, for you hockey fans...

Happy lose-your-mind season, fellow students!

Christmas on the Radio

Every December I become inordinately excited to listen to Christmas music again. I resist it all fall, but come December 1, it is on. I used to just turn on the radio and enjoy the abundance of Christmas-ness it provided. However, with the secularization of Christmas culture in America, this has turned out to be a huge bummer during the past few years.

Gone are the songs about any spiritual or Jesus-centered aspect of Christmas. The top ten songs on the Christmas-y radio stations around here seem to be:

1. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (gross, if you think about it)
2. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (um... sure...)
3. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (woo hoo...)
4. Jingle Bell Rock (since when is Christmas about "rockin' the night away?" also - the movie "Mean Girls" has ruined this song for me forever)
5. White Christmas (probably the best of the bunch)
6. Santa Baby (ew. just... ew.)
7. That stupid Hawaiian Christmas song (I'm in NEW JERSEY for pete's sake!)
8. I'll be Home for Christmas (depressing)
9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (all I can hear in my head are the little asides all youth group kids know to this song - "Like a light bulb!" "Like Pinnochio!" "Like Monopoly!")
10. Blue Christmas (what is the obsession with sexualizing Christmas? and Santa? good heavens...)

Lucky for all of us, there's Pandora. This has become the fuel for my Christmas music obsession. If you haven't heard of it, just click on this link.

Pandora lets you select a song or artist you like and plays you songs that fit within that theme. And it's free! As far as Christmas stations go, their "classical" Christmas is quite good (though heavy on the "Good King Wenceslas" for whatever reason). Lots of Silent Night and Holy Night and Joy to the World and all the  good stuff. For a better sing-a-long selection, I like Jar's of Clay's "Little Drummer Boy" station or Sufjan Stevens' Christmas.

Anyway, Merry early Christmas. And don't let your radio stations scam you out of singing to Jesus in celebration!